Winter's Girl
by Creepaboo
Summary: She had to be at least fourteen by now, much too old to believe in him. But there was a voice in the back of his head that insisted she had looked right at him... Jack Frost x Sophie
1. Wintertime Again

_A/N: Well, I haven't written anything in years. I'm very out of practice, so this isn't exactly my best. I want to get back into writing like I did in high school, and I figured writing some fics for RotG is a good way to get in some writing practice. Also, I thought FFnet needed more Sophie/Jack fics so here's my contribution! This story has no plot, really. Mainly I just wanted to write some fluff/mild drama. This story started out as drabbles, each one about 3 paragraphs long. I took each one and extended it, though some are a lot longer than others. That being said, some chapters may contain mature content, I haven't decided yet. That's all I wanted to say. I hope you enjoy my story, but if not and it's awful and you hate it, whatever. It's not like reading it cost you anything but time!_

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.:01:.

A loud whoop of excitement tore up out of his throat as he plunged from the darkening sky over Burgess. Heavy snow erupted from the clouds rushing in behind him. The wind seemed to share his energy, and tossed him playfully along the streets as he spread winter a bit forcefully through town. Children fled the warmth of their homes as the snow began, and he grinned to himself as several of them shouted his name and waved.

Though it had snowed in Burgess during his absence, it was starting to get rather lifeless and slushy. The roads were a mess, and the children were ecstatic to have their winter wonderland refreshed. He laughed and shouted to the people lingering along the sidewalks as he bounded through the town, not caring that none of them could hear him.

Jack was just tearing past the park, spreading a wide path of ice behind him, when a familiar voice shouted his name. He did his best to stop, skidding a bit on the ice and spinning around. The young man's eyes widened in sudden worry as the winter spirit changed direction and darted straight for him, staff raised high. A small squeak escaped the boy as Jack Frost swung his staff along the ground, sending a wall of snow barreling over him.

He landed delicately beside the pile of snow, bracing his hands on his knees and chuckling as he watched Jamie sit up rather groggily and shake the snow from his hair. He seemed quite a bit older than when Jack saw him the previous winter. He was nearly finished with his teen years now but still a rather small young man. His friends no longer saw Jack Frost, but his belief in the winter spirit had never wavered. He grinned and lobbed a snowball at the Guardian, and out of pity Jack let it hit him.

At first Jamie's friends looked at him like he was insane, apparently throwing snowballs at nothing. Jack remedied this and soon he had a crowd of teenagers and young adults waging a snowball war. He stopped for a moment to admire his efforts, cringing every so often at how rough teenagers were with each other. Several of them tackled a larger young man and they all went tumbling through the snow, laughing and shouting at each other.

Jamie plopped down in the snow beside Jack, his breath coming out in sharp puffs. He was soaked, and Jack felt a little bad for burying him. A happy smile was plastered to his face, however, and he elbowed Jack playfully.

"Sometimes I think you're kind of biased. I get the impression you would spend all winter here if you could get away with it." He grinned slyly and Jack scooped up a handful of snow, molding it slowly into a ball and giving Jamie a long, threatening look.

"I see, the spirit of winter isn't allowed to have a favorite town. According to you. Maybe I'll just go and won't bother coming back. Obviously you can handle a little snow and ice all by yourself." He muttered sarcastically and sniffed like he'd been offended. Jamie laughed and punched his shoulder.

"Don't be a brat." He said affectionately. "You know it's boring as hell around here without you."

Jack snorted. "Yea, it's kind of boring when nobody can see me, too." He said quietly.

"Ah, give it time. You'll make more friends." Jamie watched the winter spirit for a moment, wondering if he was about to turn melancholy again.

Jack Frost smiled to himself and tossed the snowball off to the side. The sky was darkening, and he knew it wasn't just the storm clouds he'd brought with him. It was getting late, and Jamie shivered from beside him. A group of girls came into view, and Jamie's face brightened.

"Hey! Sophie! Wait, I'll walk ya home!" He waved happily to his little sister, and Jack followed his gaze to the girl.

She lingered behind as her friends continued without her, her gaze landing cheerfully on her brother. For just a moment, Jack could have sworn her gaze flicked over to him. He waved, but if she saw it she gave no sign. Jamie put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"You should come over later. I've got to finish some stuff for school, but stop by after dinner. I haven't seen you since last March, we've got a lot to catch up on." He laughed and climbed a little stiffly to his feet. He shook a bit of water from his hair and shuffled through the snow to his sister.

Jack watched them go, hugging his staff protectively as the town grew silent. Snow fell softly around him, and the wind blew it gently to twist around Jack's shoulders. He was lost in thought, and slowly moved to prop his chin in his hand as he sat in the snow. His mind kept drifting back to Jamie and his sister. He hadn't seen her in a long time, she didn't seem to spend much time outdoors anymore. She had to be at least fourteen by now, much too old to believe in him. But there was a voice in the back of his head that insisted she had looked right at him. Not just into the snow beside her brother, but it was like she had actually seen him and looked him right in the eyes.

He shrugged off the feeling and bounced to his feet. He had work to do, this town was not nearly wintery enough for him. It hadn't been winter for very long, and he was late. A snowstorm in Canada had distracted him, and he had been quick about turning it into a full-blown blizzard just to see what happened. Jack was happy to be back in Burgess, and he wandered the streets a bit lazily. He refroze the slush in the road, grinning to himself as a man on a cell phone caught one boot on a frozen edge of slush and face-planted into the snow. His phone flew from his grasp and slid a few feet on the ice, and the man let out an angry curse. Jack laughed and tapped the cell phone with his staff, then stepped back to watch the phone freeze. The man picked it up and immediately dropped it in surprise when he realized it was frozen solid.

Still chuckling to himself, Jack took to the air to look for more ways to spread his winter "cheer". He briefly considered going through Jamie's neighborhood and freezing all the car doors shut, but he'd done that last year. He considered making some snowmen and setting them right in people's doorways, but that seemed a little boring. A brisk wind blew through town, and it started to snow harder. People were hurrying home now, heads tucked down against the cold wind and snow. Jack dropped down onto the street and started making his way along the sidewalk. He frosted up random store windows, just to make people wonder. Getting bored, he decided he'd wasted enough time and took off for Jamie's house. It had been a while since he'd gotten to see his best friend, and it had been a long, lonely summer.

Jamie jumped in surprise when a blast of freezing wind hit him in the face, and it had been difficult but Jack had refrained from pelting him with snow. The young man had left his bedroom window wide open for the winter spirit, and Jack crouched on the windowsill for a moment before slowly climbing down onto the floor. Jamie closed his book and dropped it on his desk, leaning back in his chair and watching Jack Frost inspect his room. He hadn't been inside a house since last winter, it felt strange to him at first. Like he had been lured into a box. The wind began to howl outside, whipping flurries of snow into the window before Jack had a chance to shut it.

He turned around to find Jamie staring at him with an amused grin on his face. Jack glanced back at the window as it rattled against the wind, then shook his head, leaned his staff against the wall, and moved over to plop down on Jamie's bed. He let out an exaggerated sigh of content, and Jamie balled up a piece of paper and tossed it at him.

"Where were you all summer?" He asked with a chuckle as the paper bounced off Jack's forehead.

"Hiding from the god-awful heat." Jack replied.

"I heard there was a nasty blizzard in Canada last week." Jamie gave him an accusing look and laughter rumbled in Jack's chest at the memory.

"Yea, I came across this cute little snowstorm and thought 'I can make this so much worse'. I had to. I don't expect you to understand." Jack mused. Jamie stifled his laughter and got to his feet.

"You're such a troublemaker. Speaking of which, I've been thinking for a while that I want to build some snowmen so it looks like my neighbors ran them over. Maybe even spray some food coloring on the snow, put agonized expressions on their faces and broken tree branches for busted arms. What do you think?" Jamie asked softly, glancing at his door when he heard footsteps down the hall.

Jack sat up slowly, leveling his gaze with the young man. A smile crossed his face, and he actually looked deeply touched.

"You are my favorite person ever." He said seriously.


	2. She's a Natural

.:02:.

Jamie was finishing his homework, sitting at a picnic table and apparently oblivious to the cold. Jack Frost was perched on top of the table beside him, scanning the surrounding area for things to freeze. He'd already frozen the water fountain, the sidewalk was an inch thick sheet of ice, and people had become too wary of the roads for him to have any more fun sliding cars into ditches. He sighed and turned to look at his friend, leaned over his textbook and tapping a pencil on his chin.

"I'm bored, Jamie. Let's go sledding!" He grumbled. Jamie snorted and pointed his pencil at the winter spirit.

"I told you, didn't I? You're the one who insisted on 'helping' me do my homework." He grinned triumphantly and Jack scowled at him.

"There's some kids over there, make them have a snowball fight or something." Jamie muttered as he buried his face back in his book.

Jack was a little hurt, but looked over to see a group of girls giggling together on a bench. He moved his hand up, forming a glimmering magical snowflake, then he blew on it ever so gently. The wind took it from there, and it fluttered out over the snow-covered ground. It dipped and twisted on the light breeze, finally finding its mark on the nose of one of the girls. She gasped at the sudden cold, then shook her head and grinned.

"Let's make a snowman!" She leapt to her feet and bounced in place, clearly too excited about something her friends thought was childish. They gave each other slightly alarmed glances and stared at the girl as she crouched down and started rolling a ball of snow to make it bigger. One of the girls shook her head and started to walk away. Jack rolled his eyes and tossed out a handful of snowflakes, grinning devilishly as the girls suddenly exploded into excited squeals of laughter.

Jack chuckled a little evilly to himself, and Jamie paused to give him a strange look. He followed the spirit's gaze and bit back laughter when he saw one of the girls try to shove snow down her companion's shirt. The two girls slipped together and fell over the half-built snowman with a shout and more giggling broke out among the little group.

"They're going to be so confused later, wondering what in the world came over them to play in the snow in their designer jeans." Jamie grinned up at his friend and Jack looked proud of himself.

"Are you guys cracked?" A soft voice drifted over to the two boys and they looked back over at the girls. Sophie stood a few feet away, her green eyes wide with surprise and her arms grasping her bag to her chest.

The two boys exchanged looks and Jack held up another snowflake. "Shall I?" He asked. Jamie put a hand over his mouth and shook his head slightly.

"Nah, I wanna see what she does." He replied quietly.

"Sophie, come on!" One of the girls cried out happily, snow flying from her clothing as she reached a hand toward her friend. The girls were all breathing heavily from the romp in the snow, all of them waiting hopefully as they readied snowballs.

"Bailey, you hate snow…" Sophie eyed her friends suspiciously. One of them let out an impatient huff and slumped in exasperation.

"Stop thinking so hard, just come on!" The girl cried out.

Sophie paused and seemed to consider it for a moment. She started to walk away, then stopped and turned back toward her friends with a sigh.

"Oh, alright..." She sounded irritated, but Jack could see the happy smile on her face from his place at the picnic table.

Sophie tossed her bag aside and pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket. She tightened her scarf around her neck and ducked to the side as her friends shouted in excitement. She blocked a couple of snowballs with her arm and returned fire, catching one of her friends in the neck. The girl hopped in place and rubbed at her neck, howling about the cold in between fits of laughter.

"She's not bad." Jack said approvingly. Jamie grinned and busied himself with his homework again.

The girls tired of the snowball fight pretty quickly, then occupied themselves with rebuilding the snowman they'd started and then trampled. Sophie's hair had worked its way loose from her ponytail, and swung around her shoulders like golden silk. Her cheeks were tinted pink, but despite the fact that she had chosen to wear a skirt and leggings she didn't appear to be cold. Her friends stepped back to admire the snowman as she added the finishing touches, taking off her own scarf and wrapping it around the snowman's neck.

Jack realized he'd been watching her with a weird look on his face and sat up straight, shaking his snow-white hair from his eyes somewhat uncomfortably. He looked to the side and noticed Jamie giving him a sly look.

"What?" He asked defensively. Jamie grinned.

"After all these years, has Jack Frost suddenly noticed girls?" Jamie asked suspiciously. Jack's face became a rather normal, lively color and Jamie knew the spirit was blushing. He grinned wider.

"I was just admiring her work! It's a very good snowman." He grumbled.

"Uh huh. I'm sure that must have been it. Couldn't have anything to do with what a pretty young woman my sister is becoming." Jamie snickered at the Guardian's sudden discomfort and started to pack up his homework. He turned to his friend and nudged his shoulder a little.

"Hey! I can ask her if she thinks you're cute if you want! Hey, Sophie!" Jamie cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to her. She waved back at him happily. Before he had a chance to continue, Jack Frost had smacked him on top of the head with his staff and frost was spreading across his hair. A violent shiver wracked his body and he cried out, shaking the ice from his hair and glaring at his friend. Jack was about to snap at him, but he focused his gaze on Sophie and realized she was holding back a laugh with one gloved hand over her mouth. Her gaze lingered in his vicinity for a bit longer than it should have. She turned slowly to gather her bag, and Jack felt an unfamiliar jolt go through his stomach.

"Not cool, dude. That was-" Jamie paused when a frozen breeze hit him. He spun to look, but Jack was gone. He shrugged and slung his backpack over one shoulder before turning to meet up with his sister.

Jack Frost watched them from the top of a building across the street. He put a hand to his forehead and slowly ran his fingers back through his hair. Jamie's words had shaken him. The idea of having an interest in a girl had crossed his mind a couple hundred years ago. He'd quickly dismissed it and entertained himself with other things, like trying to freeze the ocean. He was the spirit of winter, he didn't have human instincts anymore. He knotted his hands in his hair and groaned in frustration. Three hundred years was too long to be alone, he was just looking for a friend, that was all. He was attached to her because he knew her when she was little. She had been there the day his life had finally turned for the better. She was one of the first children to ever believe in him, and he wanted her to believe again.

By the time Sophie got home that evening, the scarf she'd left on the snowman in the park had been neatly folded and set on her bed.


	3. Ancient Technology

.:03:.

"Can she see me?"

Jamie looked up from his video game and gave Jack a blank stare.

"Pardon?" He asked, clicking the pause button. Jack fidgeted a little and made some awkward hand gestures.

"Uh, Sophie… Can she see me?" He murmured softly.

Jamie's brows furrowed and he tilted his head as he thought about it. There was a stretch of silence, and Jack started to wish he hadn't asked.

"Not that I know of… I used to tell her about you all the time, but we kind of drifted apart the past few years. Why?" Jamie watched him with curiosity.

Jack looked everywhere but at his friend, scratched his head, then pulled his hood up and clasped his hands together nervously.

"Well, a couple of times I could have sworn she was looking at me. And not just towards me, right at me." Jack said softly.

Jamie sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I honestly don't know. Maybe she can, but she's in denial. Ya know? It can be rough, knowing that something is real when no one around you believes." His voice was gentle and reassuring and he spoke from years of experience.

Jack brought his knees up and hugged them to his chest, leaning back slightly on the edge of Jamie's bed. A frosty breath escaped his lips as he sighed heavily.

"Hey, if it bothers you that much, why don't you try talking to her?" Jamie suggested.

Jack glanced over at him and nodded slightly. "Maybe…" He mumbled.

"It's just, she's kind of old to believe… I guess I feel like I'm being selfish by wanting to have friends." He added quietly. Jamie frowned at his comment and leaned forward to push him. Jack nearly slipped off the bed before he caught himself.

"Tradition or not, you have the right to have friends. This isn't the dark ages, people have the right to believe in whatever they want to believe in. I know you think of me as an exception or whatever, but if you want to know her then go for it." He said sternly. Jack stared at him with wide eyes.

"Go talk to her." He said seriously, leaning closer to the winter spirit to accentuate his statement.

"But Jamie… What if she doesn't see me? What if I was just imagining things?" Jack was starting to feel flustered.

"Then make her see you. I know you're still lonely. Sure, you have the other Guardians to keep you company occasionally, but I'm betting they're usually too busy, right? It can't be healthy for me to be your only real source of intelligent conversation. Go see her. She went shopping with her friends, she's probably heading home now. Catch up to her and get this straightened out. You'll feel better no matter what happens. That's called closure." He flashed the young Guardian a smart-ass grin and Jack's face twisted in nervous uncertainty.

Jack slowly dragged himself to his feet, glancing out the window at the darkness. He tugged a little at his hood, picked up his staff, and turned to mimic tipping a hat to Jamie. Then he opened the window and stepped out into the cold night air. He tumbled down a few feet before the wind embraced him joyfully and tossed him up above the rooftops. Jack took over from there and glided purposefully over the street, heading toward the lights of the town. He only made it a couple of blocks before he started to lose his nerve and dove for the sidewalk. Flipping gracefully in the air, his feet touched down on the cold cement and he stood there for a moment debating with himself.

He gripped his staff tightly in both hands, worrying the wood a little as he started to pace. His feet started to take him toward the center of town where he knew most of the shops were. There was no reason for him to feel so flustered, but he couldn't seem to relax. She was just a girl, one he'd known for a long time. If she couldn't see him anymore he would understand, but at the same time he was scared to feel that sting of rejection.

There were several times when he stopped and considered flying off, maybe going to Bunny's Warren and wreaking some havoc to distract himself. Each time he got frustrated and slammed his staff against the nearest object, coating it in ice. Finally he gave up and hopped up onto a tree branch hanging low beside the sidewalk. He tapped his staff against the trunk angrily, watching his frost curl up and into the bark with each tap.

It didn't take long before he heard footsteps along the sidewalk. He ignored it at first, but couldn't help but glance down the street. His heart leaped unexpectedly when he saw her, and he quickly went back to staring at the tree trunk. He cursed himself internally, wondering how one teenage girl could make him feel so unsure of himself. As the footsteps drew closer he let his staff rest gently against a branch, his eyes finally drifting over to watch her walk by.

She took no notice of him, simply staring ahead at the sidewalk in front of her feet. A braid curled down from beneath her hood, though her jacket was unzipped. Her hands were shoved in her pockets and a small messenger bag shifted against her hip. Her jeans were tucked into fur-lined boots, and Jack felt a strange sensation of loneliness well up inside him as he watched her.

He opened his mouth to try and say something to her, but he couldn't find the right words and looked down again. He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned his head back against the branch, tightening his grip on his staff. Her footsteps got closer, then she was past him, and he felt like maybe he should go for a nice long flight after this. Then her footsteps stopped.

"Jack."

Her voice was so soft he was sure he hadn't really heard it, though his eyes snapped open just the same. He shifted slightly to bring her back into view, not even daring to hope. She had stopped just past the tree, still facing down the sidewalk. As he watched, her shoulders heaved and a fog of breath escaped her lips as she sighed.

"Why do you look so sad?" She asked, turning and gazing up into his eyes.

Jack was too shocked to even bother falling out of the tree. All he could do for several long moments was stare at her, his lips parted in disbelief as it finally sunk in. She could see him, after all. All this time, she had seen him and simply chose to ignore him because what teenager in their right mind would honestly believe in Jack Frost.

He forced himself to smile and act casual.

"Just, lonely I guess." He said quietly. Sophie gave him a small smile.

"Yea, everybody's gone home." She shifted a little and tilted her head as she watched him.

"Was Jamie busy tonight?" She asked curiously.

Jack wasn't sure what to say, so he nodded and slid down from the tree. He lingered there for a minute, not exactly sure what to do next. Sophie turned back toward her house, but kept her eyes on him. Now that her secret was out, Sophie didn't seem shy about looking at him. He could feel her gaze taking in his features, and he suddenly found himself feeling a bit self-conscious. A part of him wanted to ask her why she'd pretended he wasn't there for so long, but he was afraid of ruining what could otherwise be a decent evening.

"Wanna watch a movie?" She asked. Jack was shocked, and let out a choked laugh.

"A movie?" He repeated. Sophie nodded cheerfully.

"Yea, you look like you could use the company. I know I could." She flashed him a smile, and he shoved one hand in his pocket and hurried to her side.

"Sure, sounds good." He replied happily.

Sophie beamed at him and continued home with Jack by her side. He couldn't figure out why, but he felt like he might explode. He wanted to fly around the neighborhood and bring more snow to town, maybe bury it a bit. Something heavy had lifted off his chest, and as he stood by her side he almost felt like they'd never stopped being friends at all.

Neither of them spoke on the way to Sophie's house. Jack didn't know what to say, and Sophie seemed happy enough with his silent presence. A small smile lifted the corner of her mouth, and she gazed down at the sidewalk in front of them as they walked. They didn't have to walk especially far, and Sophie paused to smile at him as they reached the edge of the fence.

"I'm gonna check in with my mom real quick and I'll be up." She gestured toward her bedroom window, and Jack nodded a little awkwardly.

He watched her slip in the front door, then looked up at the window beside Sophie's. He caught a glimpse of Jamie in the window beside hers. He gave him a thumbs-up, and Jack grinned and shook his head. Jack moved forward and jumped up, landing lightly on the edge of Sophie's window sill. The window creaked a little from misuse as he climbed inside. It had changed a lot since the last time he had been there. Sophie's bed had been pushed against the right wall, and the left held a desk and a book case. A small tv sat near the foot of her bed on a night stand, and he recognized it as Jamie's old tv from before he bought his new one. Jack moved over to her desk and looked at some of the pictures she had pinned to her wall. Some of them were of Jamie, but most of them appeared to be artistic scenes from around town. A camera bag on the floor caught his eye, and he smiled to himself.

The door creaked a little as it opened, and Jack turned to see Sophie enter the room. She sighed and shrugged her jacket off, tossing it into the corner and offering Jack a tired smile. She adjusted her hair, kicked her boots off, and put her hands on her hips.

"So. Welcome to my room." She wrinkled her nose a little and grinned. "The spirit of winter is in my bedroom." She let out a soft giggle and Jack smiled warmly.

"Yea, crazy. Never thought I'd be in here again. I don't think I've even seen your room since you were itty bitty." Jack said softly. Sophie rolled her eyes and moved across the room. She pulled a box out from under her bed and glanced back at him.

"Any idea what you wanna watch?" She asked, gesturing to the box.

Jack took a moment to lean his staff against the wall, then crouched down beside her as she started to shuffle things around.

"VHS tapes, huh? Retro." Jack chuckled softly and Sophie smiled and gave him an incredulous look.

"This from the three hundred year old creep that stalks children and lives in a tree." She raised an eyebrow at him and he leaned back as if her comment had physically hurt him.

"Ouch. And I thought it was bad when people call me 'Old Man Winter'." He muttered. She punched his shoulder playfully.

"Anyway, I can get with the times. I have my own profile on Jamie's Xbox. My hunter on Borderlands is _level_ _27_." He said cheekily, as if it was a great accomplishment. Sophie gave him a flat look.

"I see you work hard at your job." Her voice was low and unamused, but she giggled at his rather hurt expression.

He dug into the box curiously, wondering where she'd even found most of the movies in her collection. Some of them were practically antiques. Jack picked one up and looked over at Sophie.

"How 'bout this one?" He asked.

"Sure, that's a classic." Sophie snatched it from his hand and leaned down to put it in the VHS player tucked under the edge of her bed.

She clicked 'play', then climbed up onto her bed and turned the tv on. Jack watched her, suddenly feeling a little awkward. She readjusted her pillows and blankets to make a seat for him, then patted the bed beside her.

"Quit being weird and sit by me." She said with a smile.

Jack grinned at his own hesitation, then carefully climbed onto the bed beside her. He wasn't sure what the movie was even about, he was too busy wondering how his night had turned into this. Sophie had been a little hesitant to speak to him, but it was like she had gotten tired of it. Maybe she'd been waiting, trying to find the right time to say something to him. He couldn't even remember what he'd wanted to say to her earlier that evening, he'd just wanted his friend back. Even if she was much older, and admittedly much prettier, than when he'd last spoken to her.

He spent a good hour lost in thought, barely watching the movie. Her presence was more comforting than he thought it would be, now that he was here. The more time he spent with her, the more relaxed he felt, almost like he was hanging out with Jamie. A soft sound from beside him caught his attention, and he looked over to see that Sophie had fallen asleep. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and he realized she was cold. Glancing down, he noticed tendrils of frost had slowly worked their way up her blankets and onto parts of her clothing. Cringing a little, he whispered an apology and climbed off the bed.

He made a mental note to keep better track of that, then kneeled on the bed to shift her into a more comfortable position. She was a heavy sleeper, and didn't even stir when he pulled her blanket out from under her. Pulling it up to her chin, he tucked it down around her, then found another blanket and tossed that on top for good measure. Taking a moment to shut off the tv, he turned and retrieved his staff before waving goodbye to Sophie's sleeping form. The window creaked softly as he slid out into the wind's welcoming embrace, and he was off soaring into the sky to find a place to sit and think. He needed to sort out the day's events.

* * *

_A/N: Not thrilled with how this one turned out, but it's close enough I guess. It started out as two super short chapters, so I smashed them together and added some filler. I wanted to wait longer for them to meet up, but I got impatient... Anyway, he picked Jurassic Park. Yup. Dinosaurs._


	4. Special Request

.:04:.

"There you are." Jamie glanced up from what he was doing to offer Jack a friendly smile. "Where have you been?" He added quietly, looking around to make sure no one saw him talking to himself.

Jack leaned against the car, cradling his staff in his elbow and shoving a hand in his pocket. He sighed gently and watched the young man work. Jamie didn't press him for information, he simply waited and leaned down to grab another armful of snow. Jack's resolve broke and he snorted, chuckling as he watched Jamie plop the armful of snow on the car's windshield and gently pat it down.

"I was thinking about stuff. I dunno. I hung out with Sophie the other night and I just… I'm sorry, what are you doing?" Jack leaned away from the car and laughed, looking back as Jamie got another armful of snow from the side of the road.

"Nothin'. Mom leaves for work in about an hour, I just wanted to leave her a nice surprise before I head for school. Or I would head for school, if there was school today. If you know what I mean." Jamie gave him a long, meaningful look.

Jack was still laughing, glancing between his friend and the snow-coated car before nodding.

"Yea, I get it. I guess it's a bit overdue anyway. I'll be right back." He composed himself and leapt up into the air.

Jamie watched him go, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Mornin' Jamie."

He glanced over to see Sophie walking down the back steps of the house. She had her backpack in one hand and was adjusting her scarf with the other. The dwindling snow beneath her boots crunched as she crossed the sidewalk toward him, and she glanced around.

"What are you doing to mom's car?" She asked a little absently. He gave her a sly grin and she cringed. "Oh. Nevermind… Sometimes I think you spend a little too much time with Jack."

Jamie slapped his hands together and jumped with excitement. "Hah!" He all but shouted in her face. Sophie shot back a step in alarm, her eyes going wide.

"Why did you go so long pretending he wasn't real?" Jamie asked curiously. He'd waited so long for her to admit he was real, he was practically grinning from ear to ear.

Sophie's eyes were still wide and she glanced around. She relaxed a bit, pulled her backpack onto her shoulders and looked away self-consciously.

"You know why, Jamie." She murmured quietly. His face fell when he realized he'd managed to hurt her. "I'll see you at school…"

She started to walk away, and Jamie was snapped from his daze when a few snowflakes drifted down around her. Suddenly finding himself distracted, he looked up at the sky and realized the previous bright blue had been replaced by thick white clouds.

"Soph, wait. I don't think there's gonna be school today." He glanced back to her as she stopped and looked around. It started to snow harder, and Jamie smiled. Sophie let out a soft laugh and held her gloved hands up to catch some snowflakes.

"You whined to Jack Frost himself for a snow day. Let me guess, you forgot to do your homework." Sophie tilted her head and looked at her brother.

"I didn't forget! I just wasn't done…" Jamie grumbled indignantly.

Sophie rolled her eyes. Something above them caught her attention, and Jamie looked up to see Jack descending from the snow clouds. He landed softly in the snow beside them and grinned, shaking himself out and bouncing a little in place.

"Whew! This is gonna be a good one. Might even get two or three days out of it." Jack moved over to return the high-five Jamie offered.

"I guess I'll put my backpack away." Sophie snorted, turning on her heel and heading back towards the house.

Jack watched her go, the grin on his face softening. He reached up to grip his staff and lean on it, pressing his cheek against the cold wood. It felt good to know she was ready to be friends again.

"I take it the two of you had a good time?" Jamie asked a little suggestively.

"Oh _god_, just shut up." Jack swiped at Jamie with his staff. He jumped back, but the staff caught him in the knee and frost immediately spread up and down his leg. He cried out in shock against the cold, then dissolved into laughter.

They both looked up as the front door closed, and Sophie headed back toward them. Her camera bag was slung over her shoulder. She'd put on a hat with little ears, and her golden hair splayed out over her shoulders from beneath it.

"Hey Soph, wanna hang out?" Jamie offered as she started to walk past them. "I was gonna get the guys together and see how big of a snowball we can roll, then leave it in an intersection once it gets dark." He flashed her a wicked grin and she wrinkled her nose.

"Uh, no thanks. I'm gonna go take pictures of stuff." She waved over her shoulder and kept walking, and the two boys glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Giant snowball sounds good to me." Jack said, shouldering his staff and looking over at Jamie expectantly.

"Awesome." Jamie murmured, spinning on his heel and walking purposefully down the sidewalk.


	5. Winter Artist

.:05:.

Jack scanned the streets below him and he paused to think for a moment as he reached the park. He'd already checked it twice, and he had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't in town at all. Changing direction, he headed out over the forest, then quickly realized checking the forest from the air would be pointless with the heavy snowfall coating the trees. This was going to take forever.

"Wind! Take me to Sophie!"

It was a long shot, but he didn't feel like combing the forest just to see what Sophie was doing with her snow day. Jamie had been so preoccupied getting his friends involved with rolling a giant snowball, Jack had slipped away unnoticed to see what Sophie was up to with her camera.

He was snapped to the side abruptly and cried out in excitement as the wind answered his call and threw him out over the forest. Letting his body relax, he floated along like a leaf. The wind tossed him and spun him around for a few long, thrilling minutes, then suddenly he was falling. Tucking his staff close to his body, he righted himself and shot down through the snow-laden tree branches. Jack landed gracefully, and a moment later a rather impressive amount of snow avalanched down around him from the disturbed tree branches. Sophie let out a started shriek and fell backwards over a log. Jack cringed and hurried over to her.

She was sprawled out on her back in the snow, her legs still resting on the log. Her hat had fallen off and her hair tumbled around her face. Though she looked a bit flustered, her camera was still gripped safely in her hand. She glanced up at him as he leaned over her, expecting her to kick him or something. Instead, she smiled and laughed.

"You scared me." She explained, as if he might not have noticed.

"And here I thought you were just clumsy." He mused. Sophie scowled up at him, and for a fleeting moment he thought she looked absolutely adorable. Then he was shoving the thought from his mind and offered her a hand up.

"What are you doing out here?" Jack asked curiously.

Sophie readjusted her clothing, brushed the snow from herself and pulled her hat back on. She held up her camera and beamed happily at him.

"I was taking some pictures for my portfolio." She said delicately, putting her nose in the air and turning away from him. She looked around and seemed to choose a random direction, then took off through the trees. Jack shrugged, rested his staff on his shoulder, and followed her lead. Anything she was doing had to be more exciting than watching a bunch of sweaty teenaged boys push a gigantic snowball.

The branches curved down toward the forest floor, heavy from snow. It was still snowing heavily, but the trees blocked it out. Jack was thoroughly enjoying the scenery, strolling along and listening to the occasional click of Sophie's camera. Every so often they came across an opening in the trees, and it was like it was only snowing in that one, secluded spot. Sophie took a lot of pictures of those places, and Jack smiled to himself. He liked that she was getting so much enjoyment out of something he did on a daily basis.

She found something that she wanted to get a few pictures of, and as she was clicking away Jack crouched down to look at a tangle of brush. He inhaled deeply, then blew out over the thin branches and watched ice coat the twisting tendrils of unidentifiable plant life. As the ice finished forming, he noticed that it no longer looked like brush, it looked like an ice sculpture.

"Hey Soph, why don't you take a picture of this?" He called over his shoulder to her.

She moved over and kneeled down beside him curiously, and her lips parted as she gazed at the mess of brush he had so easily transformed into art. He felt pretty pleased with himself when she started snapping pictures from different angles, and he looked around for more things to cover in ice.

He found a pine tree and snapped off a small branch. Shaking the snow from it vigorously, he coated it in ice and found a scenic view of the forest to use as a background. By now Sophie had caught on to what he was doing, and she rushed over to investigate. Approving of his choice in imagery, she took a few close-up pictures.

Suddenly realizing the possibilities, Sophie seemed a bit overwhelmed. She glanced around them hurriedly, as if he might leave if she couldn't find something for him to freeze. Somehow, she managed to find a little stream and followed it until she came to a tiny waterfall. It was already fairly iced over, and she took a few pictures before asking Jack to finish the job. Feeling like he'd earned the opportunity to show off a bit, he made a show of sticking his fingertips in the water and slowly freezing it solid. Sophie was beyond thrilled, and Jack couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun. She made him feel like an artist.

He followed her through the woods for at least another hour before she finally started to slow down.

"How many pictures do you have?" Jack asked tiredly as he leaned his weight on his staff. Sophie clicked a few buttons and grimaced.

"Seven hundred and twenty." She gave him a small smile and a shrug.

Jack sighed and held out his hand.

"It's my turn to take pictures, you freeze things. I'm tired." He said, struggling to keep a straight face.

To his surprise, Sophie nodded in agreement and handed him the camera. He stared at it for a moment before realizing that Sophie had taken off into the woods. Hurrying to catch up, he found her crouched down, her hands cupped around a little frozen knot of twigs. She was breathing heavily into her hands. Jack watched her with his head tilted curiously, and after a few moments she straightened up with a smug look of accomplishment on her face.

"There, I've melted your ice. Take a picture of it." She grinned at the bewildered look on his face.

He shook his head in dismay, but crouched down and fiddled with the camera until he figured out how to snap a picture. He took a few more, then breathed frost back over the twigs, just to spite her. Sophie put her hands on her hips and flashed him a challenging smirk. He took a picture of her, too.

"Okay, give it back!" Sophie shouted out, darting at him and trying to snatch her camera away.

He dodged her easily, then hopped up and caught a low tree branch. He pulled himself up into the tree and snapped a few more pictures as she stood down below, looking slightly irritated but still amused.

"Please?" She ground out, and Jack laughed.

He slid down from the tree and carefully handed her camera back to her. She immediately snapped a picture of him, then shut the camera off and put it back in her bag. Jack rolled his eyes, dragged his staff through the snow, and headed back toward town. Sophie fell into step beside him, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"You're welcome." He replied politely. "It was nice to have someone actually enjoy having everything iced over." Sophie laughed at that and put her hands in her pockets.

"Portfolio, huh? What's it for?" He asked.

"My photography class."

"You want to be a photographer?"

Sophie wrinkled her nose, and he snickered at her expression. "Nah, it's just a hobby. I don't want to turn my hobby into work."

"I can respect that." He grinned and she elbowed him playfully.

"Do you have any hobbies? I mean, besides wreaking havoc?" She asked. Jack snorted, then sighed thoughtfully.

"Not really, that's pretty much my thing."

The snow crunched softly beneath their feet, and Sophie seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments.

"I have an extra camera at home, you could get into photography with me." She said brightly. Jack let out a bark of laughter, thinking of all the unbelievable things he could take pictures of.

"I don't know how well that would go over with the other Guardians. I don't think they'd like me sneaking around taking pictures of all their secret Guardian stuff." He grinned at the thought, though. He was definitely considering it.

"Well, you don't have to take pictures of them." Sophie giggled, but an evil grin spread across his face and he looked over at her.

"Ah, but if I had a camera I wouldn't be able to resist."

"Come on, you go all over the world! You have to see some amazing things. Take some pictures and bring them back to me, I want to see what it's like to be you." Sophie said thoughtfully.

"Alright, I can do that. It'll make things more interesting, at least. Just do me a favor and don't give me a camera until March, I don't want to be hiding from North all winter when I could be hanging out in Burgess with you and Jamie." He said with a chuckle.

"It's a deal." Sophie said happily.


	6. Photo Time

.:06:.

Sophie knew when Jack Frost was back in town when a crisp arctic breeze tousled her hair and tiny wisps of snow began drifting silently around her. She was sitting on the steps of the back porch, enjoying what had minutes ago been a clear winter day. A smile quirked the corner of her lips, but she didn't look up from her cell phone when the soft sound of his footsteps reached her ears. Her fingers tapped the buttons of her phone with impressive speed, and Jack approached her slowly, as if he was afraid of interrupting something. A few moments later she stopped typing, gazed at the screen thoughtfully, then slid the phone into her pocket.

"I hope you're happy, I just ditched my friends to hang out with you." Sophie said cheerfully as she got to her feet. Jack snorted and leaned heavily on his staff.

"Whatever, I ditched my Guardian stuff to come hang out with you." He shot back with a playful smirk.

He hadn't meant anything by it, but Sophie frowned slightly and a troubled look crossed her soft features.

"How does that work, anyway? I mean, it seems like you spend an awful lot of time here. There must be like, a million things you could be doing all over the planet…" She mumbled quietly and worried a lock of hair between her fingers.

"Actually, I don't spend much time here. I've been on the west coast for the past week, and before that I was in Maine. Anytime I'm in Burgess I stop to see you guys, but once you go home I go back to work. It might seem like I spend all day with you, but I don't usually sleep so I've actually got twice as much time on my hands as you guys." He said thoughtfully. Sophie's lips turned up slightly and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You've been thinking of ways to justify your favoritism, haven't you?" She asked, her voice low and teasing.

Jack leaned forward, his eyes wide and lips parted as if he wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

"What's that, Soph? You want me to shove snow down the back of your shirt as you scream for help?" He brought his hand up to show her a snowball.

Sophie choked out a startled gasp of laughter and brought her hands up placatingly.

"Please don't make me hate you." She murmured softly.

Jack sighed and cast a somewhat loving look at the snowball before turning slightly and looking out towards the street. He drew his hand back, took careful aim, then chucked the snowball in a high arc over the street. A few moments later a startled shriek reached their ears.

"So, where's Jamie?" Jack asked casually.

"Upstairs with his friends, being nerdy." Sophie smiled sweetly and gestured toward the house. "Did you have some big plans?"

"Not really, just kind of lonely." Jack said softly.

Sophie shifted a little and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She looked back toward the house, and Jack started to wonder if maybe he should just go.

"I got some of those photos we took printed, wanna come up and see 'em?" She finally asked.

Jack smiled and nodded, and Sophie led the way up the steps. It felt strange for him to actually use the door, though it wasn't the first time he'd been inside their house. There had been a few occasions when he had followed Jamie inside to watch him get lunch. Sophie guided him through the kitchen to the stairs, and as they passed Jamie's room they could hear voices inside talking excitedly.

"Being nerdy, huh?" Jack asked in a near whisper as Sophie closed the door behind them.

"Yea, he's got this idea that ghosts are real, so he's looking for places to investigate. He bought a video camera and got his friends in on it, too." Sophie snorted in amusement at the idea of her big brother running around in the dark with a camera.

"Ah, right. The whole Bigfoot, Loch Ness, paranormal thing." Jack gave her a knowing look and she stifled a giggle.

"So, _are_ ghosts real?" Sophie asked curiously as she shrugged her jacket off and unwound her scarf.

Jack sighed and leaned his staff against the wall slowly, his fingers trailing delicately over the wood.

"Soph, sometimes I wonder if _I'm_ a ghost." He said with a hint of exasperation.

"You're not a ghost, Jack." Sophie stated.

"Well, how do you know?" He asked. Sophie started toward him with her mouth set in determination.

"Because I can do this." She punched him in the arm and he bounced back several steps defensively, gripping his left bicep and staring at her with disbelief.

"No need to get violent…" He muttered, but a smile pulled at his mouth and he had to turn away from her to keep his composure.

Sophie's soft voice giggled behind him, and he heard her shuffle some papers on her desk as he busied himself with examining some of the pictures on her wall.

"Come over here." She said sweetly, and Jack's gaze snapped over to her.

She was waving a stack of photos towards him with an odd look in her eye. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to place what it was, but it was gone quickly and he shook the thought from his mind. She tilted her head slightly at his odd behavior, but he took the photos from her hand. He didn't miss the slight curve of her lips, and he moved over to sit on the edge of her bed as he examined the pictures.

The one on top was a close up of some iced branches. He admired it for a moment, then moved it to the bottom of the pile and found a picture of the little stream Sophie had asked him to freeze. The water was trickling over a frozen cascade of water and snow. The next picture made his heart skip a beat, and for a few long moments he stared at it in surprise. She had taken a picture of his hand as he'd dipped his fingers into the water. He quickly checked the next few pictures and realized she'd snapped a progression of him freezing the water.

"Those are the one's I didn't want to show anyone." Sophie said softly, and Jack almost jumped as her weight settled gently on the bed beside him.

"They're amazing." He breathed, glancing at a few more before coming across a picture of Sophie.

He recognized it as one of the ones he'd taken from the tree, and in the frame she was smiling with a hint of playful irritation, her hair drifting out behind her with her movement as she stared up at the camera. She rested her head against his shoulder as he gazed at the photo. He found her touch comforting, and found himself smiling more from the contact than from the pictures. Jack moved the photo aside, but his hand stopped in midair as the next one caught his eye.

It was a picture of him, his bright blue eyes shining and his features softened in a smile. White hair feathered down around his face, almost melting into the snow in the background. His hand was still extended from handing Sophie the camera. His eyes drifted over the picture of himself, and he wondered when the last time he'd seen his own face was. A chuckle rumbled in his chest and Sophie smiled and curled her fingers into the cold fabric of his hoodie.

"Look at that handsome devil." Jack mused. "You know, I wasn't even sure you _could_ take my picture."

Sophie leaned back and gave him an odd look, and he shrugged defensively.

"Well, you know! Like vampires with mirrors and stuff." He was half serious, and Sophie glanced from his face to the photo.

"Maybe the person holding the camera just has to believe in you." Her voice was soft and gentle, and he wondered how they might be able to test that theory.


	7. Nighttime Creepers

_A/N: It was getting kind of boring and monotone, so I thought I'd add a little excitement! I wanted to make this twice as long but I only had an hour to write.  
_

.:07:.

It was past nine in the evening when Jack finally drifted back into Burgess. He'd gotten caught up in a rampage through New York, and he was tired. Floating lazily over Jamie and Sophie's house, he considering heading back toward his secluded little pond and sleeping for a while. A soft blue light caught his eye, and when he looked closer he realized Sophie's window was wide open.

Taking it as an invitation, he ducked down through the air and landed lightly on her windowsill. A small flurry of snowflakes announced his presence, twirling silently around him as he peered into the room. Sophie was lounged on her bed, looking half-awake and a little troubled. She clutched a book to her chest, and as she did her best to smile hello to him, her grip loosened and the book was discarded on the floor. Dragging herself into a sitting position, she waved for him to come inside.

Jack was a little alarmed at first, but when she didn't immediately burst into tears he relaxed. He closed the window and slowly crossed the room to sit by her feet. She drew her knees up to give him more room, and propped her elbows on her knees. Jack set his staff between his feet, then wrapped his arm up and around it. After a moment of consideration, he reached out and carefully took one of Sophie's hands. She didn't complain, and she squeezed his fingers in thanks.

"Did something happen?" Jack asked in a whisper. He wasn't terribly keen on the idea of Jamie barging in at the sound of his voice when Sophie was obviously outs of sorts.

"No… I don't know..." Her voice cracked slightly and she cleared her throat. "I've just been thinking too hard, I guess." She finished.

A concerned look crossed his face, and it was clear to Sophie that he felt extremely out of his element. Her lips curved into an amused smile at his discomfort, and she giggled quietly in an effort to reassure him.

"It's, just… Well…" Her voice trailed off and she looked down, away from him. He didn't push, and after a moment she looked back at him, her features more composed and slightly grim.

"Jamie and I were walking home, and we came up on this group of kids. This little girl was standing there crying, and a couple of the other kids were poking fun at her and calling her a baby. We broke it up and started walking the poor kid home, and she said the others were making fun of her cuz she told them the Boogeyman has been hiding in her closet…" She had a pained look on her face, and Jack's eyes narrowed in rising anger. When he failed to come up with a response to what she'd told him, she continued.

"You should have seen Jamie, he was furious. He just kept telling her the Boogeyman isn't real, but I don't think she listened. I'm worried about her. I know kids make up stories and exaggerate sometimes, but she seemed so honest and scared. What if she really is seeing him at night?" Sophie's eyes were filled with concern, and Jack felt a strange, almost warm sensation well up in his chest. He squeezed her hand and tried to look as confident as possible.

"Don't worry, Sophie. I'll figure out what's going on." He told her quietly.

Almost as a subconscious paranoia, Jack glanced over towards her closet. There was nothing lurking inside that he could see, but he finally noticed the blue nightlight she had plugged in beside her bedroom door. He groaned internally and glanced back at her with worry.

"Please don't tell me you believe in the Boogeyman." Jack murmured pleadingly.

Sophie seemed slightly embarrassed and sunk down a little in her bed.

"Well, the idea of him wandering this neighborhood really creeped me out. I know you're real, and the other Guardians, too. It wouldn't be a surprise at all if the monster under my bed turned out to be real, too." She muttered defensively.

"Also, it got me thinking. If all the myths are real, what about other stuff too? Like goblins and trolls? What if I pass by little monsters everyday and never saw them just because I never thought they might be real. So now I'm scared that I'm gonna trip over one now that I started thinking about it." Sophie grumbled miserably.

A sharp pang went through Jack, and he suddenly understood why the Guardians were so secretive, why they let kids forget about them as they grew up. The adult mind didn't tend to limit itself to bright thoughts and magic. Adults could think of all sorts of things that just never crossed a child's mind. Adult minds could be dark, scientific, calculating things, and he had introduced magic to two young adults. He started to deeply worry for her, not because of the possibility that Pitch might be nearby, but because of what Jack Frost himself might have already done to her life.

"Jack?" Sophie asked worriedly when he seemed to be lost in his own head. He snapped back to reality and found himself staring at her like a deer in the headlights.

"Um, are those things real..?" She asked nervously, drawing her knees close to her chest defensively. Jack swallowed thickly and forced himself to smile.

"Nah, Soph. Of course not. Don't believe everything you think." He laughed, and it sounded real enough to make her smile.

Jack bid her goodnight and took off into the darkness to patrol Burgess. He felt bad for lying to her face, but he really didn't want her to start believing in things she'd be much happier not knowing about. It was his fault she'd started questioning her own reality, he felt obligated to protect her from it now. First on that list was tracking down Pitch, since he'd apparently extricated himself from his own trap and was back to spreading terror in the hearts of children.


	8. Bad Memories

_A/n: I freakin' love Pitch. I would totally let him live in my closet. He won't get a lot of appearances, but I hope I did him justice._

.:08:.

Jack spent hours silently watching Sophie's neighborhood. Part of him desperately wanted it to be a misunderstanding, the girl thought she saw something when she didn't, and after a few days Jack would be able to relax and forget about it. The rest of him knew all too well that one thing Pitch was good at was popping up where he wasn't wanted, and he never once trusted that he'd seen the last of him.

He was sitting on a rooftop a few houses down from the Bennett residence when he finally saw it. Just a faint flicker of shadow, something he could have easily missed, but it was enough and he launched himself off the roof and took chase. It was nothing more than a slight shift of inky blackness, flashing across a garage door or a fence, then it flitted down several side streets and up along a footpath. Jack made no attempt to hide his presence, he wanted Pitch to know he was being watched.

He was winding through a knot of trees when he saw the figure ahead. Skidding to a stop with his staff held aggressively before him, Jack watched the man as he slowly moved out from behind the twisted form of a large, dormant tree. Refusing to give him a chance to think he was afraid, Jack strode purposefully forward.

"Good evening, Jack. Tightening the leash, are we?"

The bitter drawl almost sent a shiver down his spine, but Jack gritted his teeth and slowed to a stop a few paces away. Pitch's shadowy form was outlined against the lights from the next street. His head was lowered and his shoulders slumped, and he turned his gaze on the boy as if it was a game he'd grown weary of.

"Crawled out of your cave, I see." Jack bit back.

Pitch turned toward him, his eyes momentarily flashing a dull yellow before the light was behind him and his face fell into shadow.

"And what would you have me do? Sit in my prison and twiddle my thumbs?" Pitch stared at him with a mock-dumbfounded look.

"Sounds about right to me." Jack responded quickly. Frost began creeping up along his staff, adding a soft blue glow to their surroundings. Pitch glanced at it, unimpressed.

"You can't hate me for what I am, Jack. That wouldn't be noble." He gave him a vicious grin, and Jack scowled hatefully at the man.

"I honestly don't care, after everything you've done. As long as I'm a Guardian, you have no right to show your face." Jack's voice was confident and strong, but a wicked grin crept across Pitch's features.

"Ah, but without fear, what keeps children tethered to the Guardians? If I were to vanish, children everywhere would become complacent, boring, and fearless. Can you imagine? Millions upon millions of children that simply don't care anymore because there's no fear to drive them to become better people?" The words fell from Pitch's lips like warm honey. Jack stared at him with disgust and had the sudden urge to spit.

"You're insane, Pitch. You literally make me feel sick." Jack ground out furiously. "I don't know what you think you're doing here, but get out of my town. Next time you won't get a warning."

"Don't threaten me, little boy. I've done nothing. That's all you Guardians will let me do, nothing! All I have left is to wander this accursed planet, hated and alone! You asked me once to leave you alone, and I granted you that. Why not return the favor?" Pitch murmured venomously.

It wasn't what Jack had expected, and he found himself blinking in surprise at Pitch's retreating form. He took several long, careful steps, then vanished into the heavy shadows of the trees. Jack was left to stare after him as waves of bad memories assaulted his mind. He felt like he'd just lost a battle, and somehow he felt guilty. It took him a few startled moments to realize he felt sorry for Pitch. He knew all too well what it felt like to be hated and alone.

The thought that Pitch could be attempting to manipulate him crossed his mind, but the damage was done and Jack was full of bitter memories and bad experiences. He remembered all the desperate attempts he'd made trying to get people to believe in him, and every single time they had ignored him and walked away. He still felt the shudder that always went down his spine when someone walked through him.

He turned sharply on his heel, shouldered his staff, and walked quickly back the way he'd come. It had been a noble gesture, but Pitch had won this round and Jack found himself hurting. What if Pitch was right? What if the world needed fear? He didn't want to even consider that thought, and kept trying to convince himself he would go talk to North about all of this within the next few days.

Fed up with his own depressing thoughts, he took to the air and glided slowly back to the Bennett house. He knew Sophie and Jamie were fast asleep, but when he landed in the yard he noticed with a small smile that Sophie had left her window cracked open. He knew he shouldn't go inside, but he couldn't stand the thought of going back and moping around his sad little pond.

Before he knew it, he was leaning cautiously in Sophie's window. She was curled up under a pile of blankets, sleeping soundly with a peaceful look on her face. He knew Sandy had been by earlier that night, and he wondered what dreams he'd given her to ease her stressed imagination. Unable to stop himself, Jack entered the room and set his staff on the floor. He closed the window, locked it, then moved as quietly as possible to the bed.

He felt like he was intruding, but he didn't want to be alone anymore and hoped she would understand. He tried justifying his creepy behavior by telling himself it was different since he was the spirit of winter and not some weird homeless boy. Besides that, he considered the two of them to have a pretty solid friendship, and Sophie obviously enjoyed physical contact with people she cared about. Steeling himself, he climbed onto her bed, careful not to jostle her awake. She stirred slightly, and when she was finished readjusting, he settled in beside her. He could feel his worn-out body succumbing to the warmth and comfort of her bed. It only took a few minutes for him to fall asleep, cuddled up beside one of his only friends.


	9. Awkward Morning

_A/n: I wish I had a lot more time to work on these, I feel like I'm ruining my own story by writing it. Also, this chapter is boring but I felt like it was necessary. I'm starting a more exciting chapter right now to make up for it. I also wanted to thank everyone that has reviewed, you didn't have to but I appreciate that you took the time to do it and it makes me happy!_

.:09:.

Jack was awoken by a sharp, loud knock on the door. His eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up, only to find something heavy and irritated groaning against his shoulder. Another knock sounded from the door, and Jack grabbed at Sophie's hands as they knotted tighter in his hoodie.

"Sophie, time to get ready for school." He heard Sophie's mother call gently from the hallway. Sophie groaned and buried her face in Jack's shoulder.

"I'm not going!" She yelled against him, her voice muffled and cracking from sleep. He was almost afraid to move, his hands around her small wrists as she struggled to stay asleep clinging to him.

Sophie's mother laughed. "I'll give you ten minutes and then I'm sending your brother." Jack could hear her footsteps moving off down the hall, and he looked down at Sophie carefully.

One of her vibrant green eyes slid open to glare at him, and he slowly let go of her wrists and leaned back a little nervously.

"Uh, good morning?" Jack mumbled awkwardly. Sophie smiled and finally let go of his hoodie. She sat up, ruffled her messy blonde hair, and yawned.

"You scared me at first, I woke up around 5 a.m. and there was some deathly pale boy sleeping on my bed. Then I was like, 'oh, it's just that weird old creeper Jack Frost again' and went back to sleep." She laughed and rubbed at her face. Jack pouted a little and hugged his knees to his chest.

"I'm not a creeper." He muttered.

"If you say so." Sophie giggled to herself and wandered toward her bedroom door.

He heard muffled talking out in the hallway, and he realized he should have used that moment to make his escape. Footsteps pounded in the hallway, someone was walking with a purpose and he knew just who it was. Jack resigned himself to his fate and ran his fingers through his hair nervously as Jamie poked his head around the doorframe and scowled. He opened his mouth, then shut it again and glanced down the hallway. Apparently the coast was clear, and he looked back at the boy huddled rather sadly on Sophie's bed.

"I can't believe you slept with my sister." Jamie whispered accusingly. He tried to hold a straight face, but his resolve slipped and he grinned slyly at his own joke. It took a moment, but Jack got it and felt the uncomfortable sensation of his face warming up. He grabbed a pillow and smashed it against his own face as he groaned in embarrassment.

"You know it wasn't like that! I liked you better when you were an innocent child…" Jack said sadly.

Jamie checked the hall again, then slid into the room and snuck over to the bed. He kneeled down in front of Jack, resting his elbows on the bed and leaning over to peer up into Jack's downturned face. His features softened when he saw the pain in Jack's eyes, and he inhaled deeply.

"Okay, out with it." He said softly.

Jack hugged Sophie's pillow, and it took him a few moments to realize he was enjoying the scent of her hair more than actually taking comfort from it. Finding his awkward situation made even more awkward, he flung the pillow aside and let out a cry of frustration.

"I saw Pitch last night. I… talked to him." Jack mumbled somewhat brokenly.

"Pitch is still alive?" Jamie asked with wide, furious eyes.

Jack's gaze snapped over to the young man, and he immediately realized his mistake. He slapped a hand over his face and sighed.

"I am a terrible Guardian…" He mumbled angrily to himself. Jamie waved his hand in the air, either to say he was a fine Guardian or it was off-topic, he couldn't tell.

"You talked to Pitch? What did he say? Is he up to something?" Jamie pressed urgently.

"Well, I'm not sure. He made me feel… really bad. Like I was sorry for him…" Jack said vaguely. Jamie leaned forward, his eyes growing wider as he silently pressed the uncomfortable winter spirit for more details.

"I guess it was just, some of the things he said, I knew how he felt. I remember feeling that, I remember feeling alone, and I know what it's like to be hated for what I am… I just… I dunno, I guess I needed a friend, and I knew if I tried to sit by you while you slept you'd punch me." Jack muttered.

"And you thought I wouldn't punch you for trying to cozy up to my sister while she was asleep and defenseless?" Jamie gave him a flat look. "You can't tell me the boogeyman isn't up to something horrible when he drove you to my sister's bed with one conversation."

"God, will you just forget it? I wasn't trying to corrupt your sister! I just wanted a hug…" Jack growled angrily. Jamie lifted one hand and poked at Jack's cheek with an amused grin.

"You are so embarrassed you look like you're alive." Jamie snickered. Jack slapped his hand away and scowled.

"Jamie, sweetheart… Who are you talking to?"

Both their gazes snapped to the door where Jamie's mother was standing. She looked concerned, and Jack's anger faded into amusement.

"Mom. We've been over this. I'm talking to Jack Frost." He stared at her seriously and held his hands out palms up as if to say '_what do you want from me, woman?'_.

"Jamie, you're scaring me, honey." She replied softly before backing out of the room.

Jamie stood up, sighed heavily, then pointed accusingly at Jack before stalking out of the room. Jack rubbed his temple, then rolled off the bed and snatched his staff from where he'd left it on the floor. He felt awkward enough for one day, he didn't think he could handle facing Sophie whenever she wandered back into her room.


	10. Snow and Music

.:10:.

He tried to tell himself he wasn't avoiding her, but after the fifth day he couldn't deny it anymore. Jack Frost avoided the neighborhood the Bennett's lived in, he avoided their school, he even caught himself steering clear of Burgess itself a couple of times. He knew it was stupid, but he finally admitted to himself that he was embarrassed that he had gone to Sophie for comfort. He was a Guardian, he shouldn't be going to a teenage girl to make himself feel better about his life. Lately Jack had noticed just how much time he spent either thinking about Sophie or actually hanging out with her.

Jamie was like a brother to him, they were best friends and he trusted him with anything. Sure, it was kind of weird that he started out older than Jamie and now the boy was older and more mature than him, but he didn't think his immortality should be a barrier to their kindred spirits. He knew the day would come when Jamie wouldn't be there anymore, but he also knew that he couldn't be sad about it so long as Jamie was happy with the life he had. It was natural for humans to get old and die, it was just how things were. But when he thought of Sophie he felt different, like he wasn't sure if he could handle it if she got old and died. He couldn't imagine not having her to turn to in two hundred years. What he felt for Sophie was different than what he felt for Jamie, and it scared him. He had known her since she was a toddler, by all means he should think of her as a little sister, but he didn't. All he could think of was how beautiful she was becoming, and how her hair sparkled, and how talented she was with a camera, and how much she loved his snow. He wanted to make it snow forever, just for her, because he knew how much she would love it.

And so he had secluded himself to this grade school on the far side of town. It was all the closer he could bring himself to visiting her when these thoughts were muddling up his mind. He wanted time to sort himself out, but at the same time he was battling urges to go and see her and convince her to abandon any plans she'd had and run off to play in the snow he could make for her. He sighed wistfully to himself and batted at the snowflakes swirling lazily down around him.

"There you are."

His gaze snapped down toward the ground, and he realized in a mixture of horror and joy that _she had found him_. He stared dumbfounded from his seat on the top of a ten foot wall. Sophie smiled almost coyly at him and cupped one hand over her ear. Glancing around, Jack noticed several dozen people nearby, some of which had noticed the girl talking to a wall. It was an impromptu snow day, and parents had been called to take their children home early before the snow piled up.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously, looking a little hurt. "Are you mad at me?"

Several people were staring at her now, and Jack started to get nervous. He didn't want people to spread rumors that she was totally nuts, just because he'd hurt her feelings and she'd had to hunt him down and corner him in public. Last he'd heard, she had friends and a life and several more years of high school ahead of her.

"Uh, Soph? People are staring…" He said urgently.

She turned and her eyes widened a little, then she giggled and put her fingertips to her lips. Pulling her hair back, she pointed to something in her ear and several of the concerned parents laughed in amusement before turning back to their children. Jack tilted his head curiously and gave her a suspicious look.

"I'm going for a walk, do you want to come with me?" She asked sweetly.

Jack tapped his staff against his foot a few times, then nodded and slid down the wall to land beside her. She started walking, waving politely to a few of the parents that apparently knew her. Jack fell into step beside her, forcing back the knot trying to form in his throat.

"I missed you the other day. I thought you were mad at me and left." She said quietly. Jack's throat went dry, and he struggled to clear it and think of something to say.

"No, I just.. had some crazy Guardian stuff to do." He said lamely.

Sophie rolled her eyes, obviously not believing him for a second. He waited, but she didn't try to call him out on his lie. He thought quickly and changed the subject, hoping he could distract her long enough to avoid any awkward explanations.

"So, bluetooth, huh?" He asked. Sophie flashed him a sly grin and nodded.

"Yea, my mom gave me her old one." She said proudly.

"That's pretty clever, now people won't think you're psychotic." He said cheerfully.

Sophie smiled and laughed, and Jack felt warmth try desperately to fill his chest. He shivered at the sensation, hoping any sudden body heat he experienced didn't make him sick.

"Where's Jamie? We should go sledding before the streets are empty and boring." Jack said quickly, trying to distract himself.

Sophie stopped and turned to him, a little color brightening up her cheeks.

"Actually, I was hoping maybe we could just hang out. Like, the two of us." She said quietly.

His heart thundered suddenly in his chest, and for a few long moments he was frozen, unable to think of a response or even a reaction.

"Uh, yea. Sure." He heard himself say. Sophie beamed happily at him and continued walking down the street. It took him a few seconds to get his feet to move again.

She ignored him for a while, with a knowing smile tugging at her lips. He tried a few times to ask her where they were going, but she never answered. It was a little bit of a walk, but eventually they reached the edge of the sprawling forest and she ducked under a few low branches and set off through the trees. Jack was quick to follow her into the snow-laden trees, happy to be out of town again.

He had given up asking her questions and simply followed her silently as she tried her best to walk through the snow covered forest. He made a show of hopping around her gracefully as she tripped and slid through the snow, and when she got a chance to shove him off a log she didn't miss it. Her laughter chimed like music in his ears, and as he gazed up at her from a snow drift his gaze softened happily. He quickly shook it off and bounded after her as she continued on without him.

Sophie finally seemed to get tired of walking and plopped down in a pile of snow against the trunk of a large tree. She sighed heavily, then looked up at Jack and motioned for him to sit beside her. He happily obliged, and as he settled comfortably into the snow she pulled something from her pocket and unwound it. He immediately recognized it as an mp3 player and a set of earbuds. He'd never actually used one himself, but he had seen hundreds, if not thousands, of children using them.

Sophie held one of the earbuds up expectantly, and after a moment Jack turned his head slightly and allowed her to carefully put it into his ear. He wanted desperately to shake his head, but he refrained and comforted himself by staring at her like a trusting puppy. She laughed again as she put the other earbud in her own ear, then leaned her head back against the tree and hit a few buttons on her mp3 player.

Music flooded into Jack's ear, and he did his best to try and relax. He couldn't remember the last time he listened to music, and the longer he listened the more he felt himself getting lost in the rhythm. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree, smiling a little to himself as Sophie's head lolled to the side to rest lazily against his shoulder.

The beat of the music started to pick up, and he wondered if it was a random playlist or if she had chosen these songs specifically. He had a sneaking suspicion she had planned this when her fingers brushed lightly over the back of his hand. He inhaled sharply, his eyes sliding open to stare off into the snowy forest as he slowly turned his hand toward her and opened his fingers. She slid her hand into his and he knew she was smiling.

He gazed up at the snowflakes falling softly between the branches of the trees, and wondered just what he thought he was doing.

* * *

_A/n: I don't know what you guys like, but I was listening to Phillip Phillips' Home when I wrote this. _


	11. Tooth's Advice

.:11:.

Tooth zipped back and forth, her iridescent feathers ruffling every so often in excitement. Clouds of tiny fairies darted back and forth around her, hard at work as they sorted the newly arrived teeth. Toothiana took a moment to examine a few of the new arrivals, either smiling happily or frowning in disappointment. Her gaze flitted once more to the hunched form of the teenager resting on a platform off to the side.

Jack Frost had been hanging around her palace for at least two hours. Tooth had been in the middle of something when he arrived, but when he made no move to interrupt her work she allowed herself to get carried away directing her fairies. She had made a brief promise to herself that she would find time to see what he wanted, and then she had promptly forgotten. In her defense, several teeth had arrived from twins that had just discovered hockey.

Toothiana had turned to dart over to talk to Jack when a minifairy rushed to her with a squeak of misery. She held up two pieces of a baby tooth that had unfortunately been extracted with a countertop and a wet floor. Tooth's eyes softened in pity as the tiny fairy gazed at her forlornly. She was just about to comfort her poor little helper when Baby Tooth flew right into her face with her tiny hands on her hips. She jerked back in surprise, her eyes going wide as Baby Tooth pointed at Jack and chittered accusingly into her face.

"Oh, Baby Tooth, I know but-" Tooth started, gesturing towards the heartbroken minifairy.

Baby Tooth turned her angry chirping towards her sister, then darted forward and grabbed her tiny shoulders, spinning the other fairy around and pushing her away. She turned back toward Tooth and knotted her hands into fists before stomping in midair to get her point across.

"Yes, but today is so busy, I need to-" Tooth sputtered, this time turning to look over at a flock of fairies waiting patiently for further instructions.

Baby Tooth interrupted her again, this time by flying up to her shoulder and doing her best to shove Tooth in Jack's direction. Tooth drifted slowly toward Jack to humor the little fairy, but kept her eyes on Baby Tooth as she zoomed away to start bossing her sisters around. Tooth smoothed her feathers down a bit and smiled, impressed at her tiny counterpart's effectiveness as she chirped orders and sent minifairies flying off in droves. She forced herself to turn away from her work and quickly headed toward her patient guest. Jack was sitting on the edge of a platform, his back against a pillar and one leg dangling over the edge. He glanced up when he noticed her, and when she caught a glimpse of his icy blue eyes she suddenly couldn't remember if she'd smoothed her feathers recently.

"I am so sorry, it's usually not this crazy around here!" Tooth gushed, hoping she wasn't blushing when Jack smiled politely at her.

God, his teeth were beautiful. But she'd promised herself she wouldn't make him uncomfortable by violating his mouth anymore, and she'd been pretty good about it the past three years.

"It's fine, Tooth. It was kinda nice to just sit back and… chill." Jack grimaced apologetically at his own bad joke, and Tooth forced herself not to giggle like a schoolgirl. Sometimes she wondered if he told bad jokes just to mess with her.

"So, what brings you to Tooth Palace?" She asked quickly, gesturing around herself proudly.

Jack sighed and leaned his head back against the pillar. He brought his staff up and held it across his chest to rest on his shoulder. Tooth quickly caught on to his heavy mood and drifted down to sit beside him calmly and waited for him to talk. It took a few long moments, but Jack seemed to compose his thoughts and turned his face towards her.

"Can Guardians fall in love?" He asked with a pained look on his face.

Tooth's worried gaze immediately softened, and she clasped her hands together against her chest, her wings thrumming sporadically behind her.

"Of course we can, Jack. We're still people, we're just… a little different." She said gently, her voice soft and caring.

Jack's eyes were still full of worry and pain, and Tooth realized immediately just what Jack's dilemma was.

"Oh, Jack… A human girl?" Her voice was nearly a whisper, but when he didn't hear any judgement in her tone he forced the corner of his mouth into a small, sheepish smile.

"Hoo, where to start? Well…" Tooth trailed off and leaned back a little as she gathered her thoughts.

Jack gazed at her with wide eyes, bringing both hands up to clasp his staff near his chin for comfort.

"I'm sorry, I need to know more before I can give you any advice..." Tooth said quietly. Jack inhaled deeply, trying to fight down the little bit of color that tried to touch his cheeks.

"Okay… One of my believers from a few years back, she never stopped believing… I met her again last month. She's a teenager now. I had so much fun with her, I just kept going back." He paused for a moment to take a few long breaths, turning his eyes up toward the sky.

"At first I thought I was just lonely or something, but the way I feel around her is different than when I'm playing with the kids or hanging out with Jamie..." He started to get self-conscious under Tooth's curious gaze, and he trailed off and fell silent.

"So you realized you'd developed feelings for her, and now you're worried about what might happen if you were to pursue these feelings?" Tooth stated as if she'd taken notes. Jack shifted a little uncomfortably but nodded.

"It depends entirely on what you want to do, Jack. If you want to give it a shot, that's your choice. No one's going to stop you, it doesn't make you a bad person. But you need to remember that she's not immortal, and eventually the two of you will have to part ways." Tooth said gently. Her voice held a hint of pity and understanding, but Jack felt frustration welling up inside him.

"So what's the point of even trying? What's the point of falling in love if I'm just going to lose her later?" He asked a little more harshly than he intended. Tooth didn't take it personally, she simply sighed and toyed absently with one of her feathers.

"Because, Jack. Sometimes love is worth it. You might only get a few years together, but you'll carry those memories with you forever. Wouldn't you rather have a few year's worth of happy memories, instead of spending eternity wondering what it might have been like?" She said it so seriously, Jack was a little surprised.

"Think of it this way, if the two of you want to be together but never try because someday it has to end, how would you handle being friends with her? Spending time with her would be uncomfortable and awkward, and then that's what you'll remember after she's gone. You'll remember that it could have been better, but you wouldn't let it." Tooth smiled sadly, her hands clasped against her chest.

"Yea… So, if it just turns out that we end up together, you don't think I should try to fight it?" Jack asked, making sure he had it right. He hadn't been expecting Tooth to actually be supportive of the idea, especially considering how hard she tried to hide her crush on him.

"Yes, Jack. I think it's worth a try. If she loves you, I think you should try." Her eyes sparkled a little at the thought, and she picked herself up and hovered beside him.

He seemed to think deeply for a few moments, then got to his feet and swung his staff idly before turning to look up at her.

"Thanks, Tooth." Jack said softly, and Tooth floated a little closer and put a hand on his arm.

"We can talk more later if you want, I hope everything works out for you. It was really great to see you again." She couldn't hide the light blush, and Jack forced himself not to chuckle.

He held his arms out and she couldn't resist, she darted forward to hug him happily, then slowly let go. She watched him dive off the platform and take off into the sky, sighing a little sadly to herself. Baby Tooth sidled up beside her, chittering curiously in her ear as they watched Jack vanish into the afternoon sky.

"No, Baby Tooth, he just wanted some advice." Tooth murmured.

Baby Tooth chittered again and Tooth laughed.

"I don't have time for a boy! I have work to do!" She exclaimed, taking off to get back to her fairies as Baby Tooth chirped questions at her retreating form.

* * *

_A/n: This isn't exactly how I wanted this chapter to go, but I didn't have much time to write. Actually, I need to run out the door right now to get to work, so I apologize if there are any mistakes. I don't have time to reread it… I hope Tooth seemed alright, I wanted to try writing her. I read a story once where she was unsupportive and bitchy, and it made me sad. _

_Thank you guys for reviewing! This username is actually the one I use for Minecraft. _


	12. Severe Snowday

.:12:.

Jack was glad he'd gone to see Tooth. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from her, but it hadn't been encouragement. He felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his chest, and as he soared through the skies headed for Burgess, he couldn't stop thinking about what he should do next. Part of him was almost giddy at the thought of starting a relationship, it was something he'd always thought just wouldn't happen to him. He'd accepted the fact that he was basically alone for eternity, with the exception of the rare visits with the other Guardians.

Another part of him was cautious. He wanted to be closer to Sophie, but he didn't want to hurt her. He'd been weighing his options for over a week now, and he had come to terms with how he felt for her. Jack was afraid to make the first move, but Sophie wasn't exactly a shy girl. If anything were to start between them, he was fairly confident she would make it clear. He didn't know exactly what was coming or what to expect, and he was still afraid of getting his hopes up. All he knew at this point was that he'd made a deep connection with the girl, and he was so tired of being alone.

There was a town spread out ahead of him, though Burgess was still a long ways off. Jack didn't waste any time in dumping snow on the town out of sheer excitement as he passed through. Watching the clouds thicken and snow swirl down on the unfamiliar streets, Jack started to wonder when he'd realized he liked Sophie the same way she appeared to like him. He wondered how long he'd lied to himself about it, and if he really had felt it that time he'd seen her in the park with her friends. He'd figured out she had avoided him at first because she liked him, and he wondered if that mean she had liked him since she was ten years old. There had been a definite lack of Sophie in his life around the time she turned ten.

It made him wonder what it had been like for her and if she'd known exactly why she'd avoided him. It must have been confusing at first, watching him become so close to her brother as he grew up, and Jack Frost had never changed in all the time she'd known him. He wanted to ask her why she'd finally spoken to him that night, he wanted to know just what it was that finally pushed her over the edge from uncertain to confident.

He drifted lazily on the wind and cradled his staff to his chest. A million thoughts ran through his head of what he should say, what he should do, and whether or not he was rushing things now. He considered briefly talking to Jamie about it, since it was his little sister Jack had found himself so attached to. He grinned to himself and decided he'd like Jamie's reaction a lot better if he took the time to figure things out himself. Of course, with how mature Jamie was becoming, it was completely possible he had already figured it out and was biding his time to torment Jack when he'd least expect it.

The more he thought about it, the harder his heart began to pound in his chest. What did he think he was doing? He couldn't fall in love with a human. What would the other Guardians think of him? He knew Tooth wouldn't think anything of it, but what about the others? He didn't think Sandy would care much, but he had no idea about North's opinion on the matter. He didn't even want to think of what Bunnymund would have to say. If it was any other human girl he wouldn't have been worried at all, but Sophie was special to the Guardians. He'd felt guilty for visiting the Bennett's until he found out the other Guardians had been known to visit them as well.

He suddenly didn't feel so playful, and turned away from the town passing quickly below him. Letting the wind carry him higher, he ducked into the clouds and blocked his face from the onslaught of moisture. Bursting through the other side, bright sunlight nearly blinded him. He gazed out across the ocean of clouds and found himself enjoying the feel of the sun against his face. It wasn't often that he thought to visit the sun. The wind jerked him forward, and he braced himself as it picked up speed. Jack did his best to enjoy the ride, but he couldn't fight back the feeling of apprehension.

Even at top speed, it took him a good two hours to reach Burgess. It was the kind of trip that he would normally have taken a week to make, but he was eager to get things sorted out so he could more or less restore stability to his life. He knew what he wanted to do, and the Bennett house was his target as the town finally appeared below him. It was bright and clear over Burgess that afternoon, though clouds were quickly rolling in on the wind in his wake. Jack had almost been worried his beautiful snow would have melted in his absence, but the temperature was still low and the town was white as ever. It even looked like it had snowed on its own the night before.

He was nearly to Sophie and Jamie's neighborhood when he finally realized it was a school day and they wouldn't be home yet. Stopping in midair, he thought for a moment, then changed direction and headed straight for their high school. He hadn't come this far just to sit on their front porch and wait for another few hours. The school wasn't far, and Jack paused when he got there as he wondered where to start looking. It was a pretty big high school, and he moved to the nearest row of windows and peered inside. There were a couple of kids he recognized inside, listening to a teacher with severely bored expressions, and Jack grimaced as he leaned away from the window.

"Well, that is just absolutely horrible." He muttered distastefully.

Considering his options for a few moments, Jack quickly decided he'd tried hard enough to find Sophie at school. He was just going to have to bring her out to find him.

A few minutes later, he grinned triumphantly at the thick white snow clouds now amassing overhead. Snow began to fall slowly at first, then picked up the pace until it was snowing so hard he could barely see the houses at the end of the street. When he didn't see any results within ten minutes, he took it up to near-blizzard level and stared at the front doors with determination. Finally, the last two hours of school were canceled, and teenagers came wandering out the doors.

He darted forward when he caught a flash of golden hair and found Sophie huddled beside the covered area next to the front steps. She didn't seem to mind the cold too much, but the heavy snow was giving her some trouble. Almost immediately, the snow swirled around her, as if it was afraid to touch her. She looked up with surprise to find Jack standing next to her, surveying her classmates as they braced themselves against the pounding snowfall.

"What's with the blizzard?" Sophie asked curiously. Now that snow wasn't smacking her in the face, she was happy to stare out at the street and admire his handiwork.

"Just wanted to get your attention." Jack said off-handedly as he twirled his staff up onto his shoulder. He glanced over at Sophie with his best poker face, and she scoffed.

"This seems like a bit much, school would have been out in a couple hours anyway. How long is it going to be like this?" She wasn't chastising him, just musing about the day's events.

"Forever." Jack said as seriously as he could, leaning close to her face to accentuate the statement.

Sophie giggled, and as Jack's gaze softened with affection, he realized she'd sidled a little closer to him. He felt color touch his cheeks, and wondered briefly if Sophie noticed. She didn't say anything though, simply held his gaze a little intensely.

The moment was shattered as a broken shriek brought their attention back to the high school's front steps. It was hard for Jack to tell what was going on at first, but then he realized Jamie had charged out the front doors of the school and was gleefully throwing snowballs at absolutely everyone. A few of his friends rushed to join him, shielding their faces against the raging snowfall as they struggled. Jack smiled proudly and glanced back to Sophie. She snorted and shook her head in slight disbelief.

"So much for my escort. You'll have to take me home now." She turned slowly and smiled sweetly up at him. Jack shrugged and glanced around to make sure no one was watching.

"Okay, it's only fair." He ducked his head as if bowing politely to her, then stepped back and offered her his hand.

Sophie gave him an odd look of amusement, but reached out to take his hand. The moment she raised her arm, Jack darted in and wrapped an arm around her waist, his staff held out beside him as a devilish smirk crossed his face. She immediately clung to him in terror as he leapt up into the air, and she twisted a little in his grip to snake her arms up around his neck and shoulders.

"This is not what I meant-!" She gritted out, her eyes going wide as she saw her town spread out far beneath her feet.

* * *

_A/n: This wasn't what I'd had in mind for this chapter, but eh. I guess it works. I'm not happy with it, but I've seriously been so busy this is the best I could do running around and writing for about ten minutes at a time for five days. I apologize for any mistakes, I don't have time to reread it right now. I thought up an ending to aim for, but now I'm not sure if anyone's going to like it. Not that the ending is anytime soon._


	13. Cuddle Time

.:13:.

Jack was careful to clear a path through the snow as he soared a little slowly through the skies over Burgess. Sophie clung to him in desperation, though he could tell she was trying to relax and trust that he wouldn't let her slip. He felt a little bad when her arms began trembling in suppressed fear. Tightening his arm around her waist, he took them a little lower and slowed down as they neared her neighborhood.

Normally, he wouldn't have dared carry her in broad daylight, it would draw a bit of attention from people that couldn't see him. The heavy snowfall made it nearly impossible to see the ground, and he was fairly confident if anyone happened to look up they wouldn't be able to see the teenage girl apparently going for a leisurely flight through town.

Sophie let out a shaky breath as he descended into the backyard of her house. The snow was piling up quickly, and when their feet finally touched ground they sunk in several inches. Sophie shuddered a little, and waited a few long moments to unwind her arms from around Jack. He held onto her waist until she tried to step away, then he quickly snatched his arm back and suddenly found the snow at his feet completely fascinating.

Sophie lingered awkwardly as she watched him, her lips parted as she tried to think of something to say to ease the tension. Drawing a blank, she turned and headed towards the house, hoping he would follow. She let out a startled yelp as she walked into a wall of violently falling snow, immediately throwing her arms up to block her face from the onslaught as she continued toward the back porch. Jack flinched when he realized he had moved too late when she'd turned away from him.

He moved forward to follow her, and she stomped the snow from her boots as she moved up the steps. She shook more snow from herself, then opened the door and turned to look back at him. Snow was melting in her hair and sending droplets of cold water running down her face. Jack brushed some of the snow from his own hair, then looked at the snowflakes caught on his fingers. He watched them for a few moments, but when they didn't melt he smiled a little grimly to himself and brushed his hand off on his pants.

By the time he looked up, Sophie was giving him an odd look as she leaned in the doorway. He apologized and hurried into the house so she could shut the door behind him. Sophie hugged herself as she hurried to her room, and Jack followed her upstairs and waited just inside her bedroom door. She struggled out of her coat and boots, then seemed to pause and look around her room. She noticed Jack lingering near the door and smiled, urging him to come in. He leaned his staff in the corner, then stalked into the room.

She was still getting situated and trying to untangle her hair, so Jack moved over and sat on her bed, scooting back to lean against the wall. When she was finished, she picked out a video tape apparently at random, started it, then climbed on the bed. She scooted up against Jack's side, and his back stiffened in surprise as she settled in and laid her head against his chest. He realized after a moment he was holding his arm up as if she had burned him, and slowly lowered it down around her small form. He rested his hand carefully on her arm, trying to relax as she cuddled against him. His heart pounded almost painfully in his chest, and he was fairly certain she could hear it and was just being polite by not mentioning it.

It took him a few long, shaky breaths, but he managed to relax enough to feel an odd wave of calm and content wash over him. Jack tilted his head and slowly rested his cheek against the top of Sophie's head. She stiffened momentarily, then nearly went limp and let out a deep, happy sigh. Jack smiled a little to himself.

He had no idea what the movie was about, and he had a sneaking suspicion Sophie didn't even know what it was. All of his attention was on the girl snuggled up so happily against him. She snuck her arm over his stomach and hugged him almost subconsciously.

Nearly an hour passed before Jack realized Sophie was dozing off, almost splayed across him. It wasn't that she was noticeably falling asleep, but her self-control slipped enough that he could finally tell she was cold. A slight shiver ran down her arms and she trembled for a moment before gathering herself and curling up closer to him. A brief look of concern crossed his features before he reached over beside his companion and pulled her comforter up and over her rather small body. She was too tired and drowsy to protest as he tucked the edges under her, trying to add some padding between them so his coldness wouldn't take away from her body heat.

She moved her hand up slowly and gripped a handful of his hoodie, almost like she was afraid if she fell asleep he would leave again. Jack caught the silent message and brought his own hand up to cover hers before turning his face and brushing his lips against her hair. Reassured, Sophie let herself drift off to sleep in his arms.

Jack didn't even move when the movie ended and the credits had finished rolling. Eventually, it went to static, and he moved one foot forward and managed to hit the power button to shut it off. Silence filled the room, the only sound being Sophie's soft, even breaths. Jack held her carefully, enjoying the closeness and warmth while trying not to wake her. He brought one hand up and brushed gently at her hair.

A knock sounded at the door, and Jack sat up straight, his eyes snapping to the doorway in surprise. Almost immediately afterward, the doorknob turned and he froze in place as the door was swung open and Jamie leaned inside.

"Soph? You here? Oh." Jamie paused abruptly when his gaze fell on Jack, holding Sophie in her own bed as she napped on his chest.

There was a long, awkward moment of silence as the two young men stared at each other. Jamie shifted slightly, but made no move to come inside the room.

"Uh, hi, Jack." He said a little uncomfortably.

Jack wasn't sure what to say, he just gave Jamie a guilty look and a forced, apologetic grin.

"Kinda wondered where you were. Cuz of, you know, the blizzard and stuff." Jamie trailed his gaze around the room, and Jack could see his mind reeling from the sudden brick wall of realization.

"That's not a blizzard, Jamie. That's a flurry. I can show you a blizzard." Jack flashed him an evil smile, trying desperately to ease the tension.

It took a few breaths, but Jamie cracked his own grin and snorted.

"Prove it." He said challengingly to the winter spirit.

Jack chuckled a little and rolled his gaze over to the window, toying idly with Sophie's soft hair.

"Well, maybe later. Kinda promised a girl I'd be somewhere." He forced himself not to look hopeful as he flashed his gaze back to Jamie.

He watched the teenager eye him and the way his sister was sprawled over him, then the young man's features softened a little. Jamie seemed to get it, and he slowly looked back into Jack's eyes, smiling a little.

"Okay man, come find me when she wakes up. If she doesn't wanna come outside, just wave her camera in her face. That usually does it." Jamie smirked, then ducked back out the door and closed it softly behind him.

Jack exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

* * *

_A/n: I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed, you guys are wonderful. I really appreciate your insight, I'm convinced my brain consists entirely of hummingbirds, so it's nice to know what normal people think of my story! I'm so happy you like it so far, I hope you like where I take it._

_One of you asked when Jack will tell the Guardians that Pitch is back, and I have this to say; he won't. My reasoning on this is simply that I'm going with the idea that since Pitch is immortal, he never actually left. He wasn't killed and the Guardians had dealt with him for centuries, so why would they care if he was gone for a couple years and popped back up again? When he finally became a problem MiM told them so, so they really don't need to keep tabs on him. Another reason I don't want Jack to talk to the other Guardians about Pitch is that I don't want him to become the villain of this story. This story isn't about anything Pitch is doing, he's simply in it because I love him. So yea, that's my reasoning, there will be no Guardians VS Pitch in this story, but he will be making more appearances. But thank you, that was a good question!_


	14. First Kiss

.:14:.

Sophie jerked awake when her bedroom door was thrown open. Jack tightened his arms around her shoulders in protective alarm, and Jamie appeared in the doorway, looking a little flustered.

"Mom's looking for you." He grinned sheepishly.

Sophie scrambled from Jack's arms, still groggy from sleep. She stumbled a little when her feet touched the floor, and she tried to smooth down her mess of golden hair. Jack heard her make a surprised little noise as she bumped into her mother in the hallway, then two sets of footsteps retreated down the stairs. He looked over to Jamie with confusion.

"Sorry, I just thought it would be really weird and awkward if mom saw Sophie curled up around an invisible person. And I really don't want her to believe in you, that would take all the fun out of everything." He was a little breathless, and Jack laughed at the look of relief spreading across the boy's face.

"After all these years of having her convinced I'm your imaginary friend…" Jack grinned in amusement and untangled himself from the bed.

Jamie moved over to the window, peering out at the waves upon waves of snowflakes pounding against the glass. The weather had worsened, and his friends had all hurried home when the streets became uninhabitable. Jack stood beside his closest friend, gazing out at the snow with pride.

"You know school's going to be canceled all week, right?" Jamie asked with a small grin.

"Uh huh." Jack's grin was downright evil, and he crossed his arms as he turned his gaze on the young man beside him.

"Did you know sometimes, if there are too many snow days, we have to stay in school an extra couple of weeks during the summer?" Jamie asked, giving Jack an odd, suspicious look.

"Yep." Jack was unfazed, and even seemed to draw some self-satisfaction from Jamie's words.

Jamie was quiet for a few minutes, more or less watching the snow fall against the window as he tried to gather his thoughts. Jack knew it was coming, and waited patiently for his friend to choose the right words.

"Soo. You and Sophie, huh?" He shoved his hands in his pocket, then bumped Jack's arm with his elbow playfully.

"Uh, yea. I guess so…" Jack rubbed at his arm, avoiding Jamie's heavy gaze.

"No offense, but aren't you kinda old for her?" Jamie asked quietly. It took Jack a moment to register the question, and he rolled his eyes over to the boy's face.

"Yea, by about three centuries." He said flatly. Jamie's face broke into a grin.

They both turned to glance at the door when footsteps could be heard on the stairs, and Jamie slowly stalked toward the door.

"Just know, I'm watching you, Jack." Jamie pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then jabbed them in Jack's direction as he backed out the doorway.

Sophie sidled into her room, moving slowly so she could give her brother an odd look as he passed her. Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, she turned to find Jack still standing in front of her window. It was getting dark outside, though it was hard to tell through all the snow. The white mass outside was losing its glow, and she gazed happily at the young man silhouetted in front of it. He gave her a somewhat shy smile, and she returned it as she pushed her door most of the way shut and took a few, careful steps to him.

She held her arms out, and Jack happily allowed her to slide in against his chest, winding her arms gently around his back. They stood together for a few long minutes, embracing each other in front of the window. Eventually, Sophie leaned back to smile up at him.

"Sorry about that, my mom wanted to show me some of the stuff she bought. I hope Jamie was being nice…" Her voice died in her throat when Jack brushed his fingers along her jaw.

She stared up into his icy blue eyes in shock, and as a jolt went up her spine several locks of blonde hair fell into her face. A chuckle resonated in Jack's chest, and he brushed her hair back behind her ear, keeping his hand nestled against the side of her face as her vibrant green eyes widened. He hadn't realized the effect he could have on her, and now that he knew he couldn't stop thinking about how much fun this was going to be.

Sophie hadn't been expecting this from him, but when he leaned down to her she eagerly raised her chin to give him better access to her mouth. He lowered his lips to hers almost painfully slowly, and she knotted her hands in the fabric of his hoodie. She jerked involuntarily at the coldness of his mouth. She's expected him to be cold, but this was like kissing someone that had been standing outside in a freezing wind for an hour. He tried to pull back when he realized the cold was biting at her soft skin, but she brought her hand up and clamped it down on the back of his neck, keeping him in place.

Happy to admit defeat to her, Jack held her tighter and placed a series of soft kisses on her lips, giving her a moment to get used to the temperature. She had started shivering, but he had a suspicion that it wasn't just from his coldness. He flicked his tongue over her bottom lip, thoroughly enjoying the violent shudder that went through her body. She allowed him to deepen the kiss, the cold seeping into her mouth.

He continued a few more moments, then pulled away from her when he suspected her lips might be going numb. She tried to look disappointed, but her eyes were too hazy and her head was swimming. She flashed him a smile, and he leaned down to softly kiss the tip of her nose.

* * *

_A/n: You guys have some awesome ideas! Thank you! Sorry these chapters are so short, if I try to make them longer I'll wind up never updating. And don't worry, I'm planning out how the other Guardians hear about Jack and Sophie. I'll be getting to that soon. If you hadn't noticed, the 'T' rating will be coming into effect now. Things will be staying tasteful, I just want you guys to know that some scenes might be getting a bit mature. _


	15. Photo Op

.:15:.

Nearly a week had passed since Jack had finally agreed to stop the blizzard he'd brought to Burgess. It had been fun the first couple of days, but then even Sophie felt like she was trapped and Jack couldn't refuse when she had asked so sweetly. Burgess was effectively buried, and Jack took a couple of days to attend to his own Guardian duties.

He had just gotten back from the west coast that evening, and Sophie greeted him happily. She'd been waiting in her room with some of her favorite photos spread out on her bedroom floor. Jack dropped his staff in its usual place, then settled onto the floor beside her and she practically crawled onto his lap to give him a quick kiss.

"What's all this?" Jack asked, winding his arm around her back as he leaned forward to look at her photos.

"Well, Christmas is coming up and I thought this year I could frame some of my best photos and give them out as gifts." She said happily, shuffling some of the pages so he could see them all clearly.

"Christmas, huh?" Jack suppressed a shudder when he realized what that meant.

North would be making a special stop at the Bennett house, like he apparently had every year since the incident with Pitch. The Bennett kids were special to all the Guardians, and he wasn't looking forward to the large man finding out about his blossoming relationship with Sophie. His paternal instincts could be absolutely terrifying.

"What's wrong?" Sophie was gazing up at him with concern, and he realized he'd been brooding.

"Oh, just… Nothing…" He gave her a fake smile and kissed her forehead.

"How many are you going to pick out?" He asked curiously, and Sophie's attention was immediately drawn back to the pages spread out in front of them.

"Well, one for my mom, one for Jamie. I was thinking he'd like a picture of you, but I don't want to give him mine. I was hoping you'd let me take another one soon." She gave him her best puppy-dog eyes and Jack let out a bark of laughter.

"Look at you, you've got the spirit of winter himself wrapped around your little finger…" He joked, squeezing her into a hug and nuzzling the side of her neck as she giggled and tried to squirm away.

A gentle tapping at the window caught their attention, and Jack thought for a moment his blood might have frozen. There were only so many things that would be tapping at Sophie's window, and he wasn't keen on facing any of them right at that moment. Slowly, both of them raised their eyes to the window, then Jack was gritting his teeth and Sophie was jumping enthusiastically for the window.

"Tooth! I missed you!" Sophie squealed adorably, and Jack brought one hand up to run through his hair. It was like she was instantly ten years old again.

The fairly floated gracefully inside, wrapping Sophie in a loving embrace as Baby Tooth zipped around them and headed straight for Jack. After exchanging heartfelt greetings, Tooth turned a sly grin on Jack Frost as he climbed warily to his feet.

"The little girl across the street lost her first tooth today, and I was heading over to say hello when Baby Tooth said she saw a certain boy sneaking in your window. I assured her that was just silly, but now what do I have here?" Tooth crossed her arms, her voice chiding but not judgmental.

Sophie lingered beside her, trying her best to look innocent. "Jack was helping me pick out what pictures to give as gifts this Christmas." She said sweetly. Jack was thankful she'd caught on that Tooth disapproved of the two of them being alone in her bedroom.

"Jack, when you said you fell in love with a human, you didn't mention it was my sweet little Sophie." She said with a teasing grin as she waved a finger at him.

"You told the tooth fairy you fell in love with me?" Sophie gave him a sly grin, and moved over to slide in under his arm. He was somewhat embarrassed at first, but Tooth only clasped her hands against her cheek and seemed to think they were nothing short of adorable.

Baby Tooth looked about ready to explode, and she chittered excitedly in Jack's face before zooming over to nearly tangle herself in Sophie's hair. She leaned down to peer into Sophie's eyes and started chirping something while glancing at Jack. Tooth immediately blushed and snatched the tiny fairy from Sophie's hair.

"Baby Tooth!" She squealed in embarrassment.

"Um, what did she say..?" Sophie asked curiously.

Tooth shook her head quickly. "Nothing, sweetheart." She smiled at the teenage girl, forcing the blush from her cheeks as she released Baby Tooth, giving the minifairy a stern look.

Jack and Sophie exchanged slightly alarmed glances, then slowly drifted apart. Jack cleared his throat and Sophie settled down on the floor again and let her hair fall forward to hide her flushed cheeks. Baby Tooth hung her head a little, but settled in on Jack's shoulder and folded her little hands in her lap. Tooth drifted down to sit beside Sophie, her arms held close to her chest as if she was trying to hold in her excitement.

"This is so exciting! I'm so happy for you two!" Tooth squealed happily. "I can't think of a more perfect girl for you, Jack. Sophie's just so beautiful and creative! Look at these gorgeous pictures!"

Sophie enthusiastically began showing Tooth some of her favorites, and Tooth was happy to fawn over each and every one. Jack lingered near the window, contemplating a quick escape while the two were distracted. Tooth might as well have been a member of his family, but he still wasn't comfortable with her seeing him and Sophie together. He was still figuring out how to be in a relationship, and he didn't need one of his only friends watching him try to grow accustomed to the sudden change in his life. Though as much as he wanted to be alone with Sophie, he really did like spending time with Toothiana, and he'd kind of missed Baby Tooth recently.

He was just about to settle down on the floor beside them when Baby Tooth leapt from his shoulder and landed excitedly on the pile of photos. She'd seen the photo of him that Sophie had taken in the woods, and she pressed her tiny palms against it, admiring it for a moment. She chirped up at Tooth, then looked meaningfully at Sophie. Tooth clapped her hands together in front of her, her face lighting up.

"Oh, that's a great idea, Baby Tooth!" She said happily before turning to Sophie. "She wants you to take a picture of us!"

Jack could have sworn Sophie's eyes sparkled for a moment as she got to her feet and hopped over the photos to grab her camera from her desk. As she got it ready, Tooth floated over to press up against Jack's side, and Baby Tooth sat on his opposite shoulder, chirping happily at him for a moment before staring intently at Sophie. She held the camera up, and Tooth wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders, smiling happily and doing her best to stay still.

"Smile, Jack!" She urged, and Sophie waited to see if he would. He forced what he hoped was a cheerful grin across his face, though he was feeling a little intimidated by the two women.

There was a flash, then Sophie snapped a couple more, just for good measure. Tooth floated over to Sophie's side, peering down at the camera screen as she brought up the image.

"Aww, he's so cute." Tooth cooed teasingly.

"You look like you might be in pain." Sophie said with a grin, wrinkling her nose to let him know she was playing.

Jack couldn't resist, and sauntered over to look at the picture. Tooth was cheerful and vibrant as ever, and Baby Tooth was painfully adorable, but the smile on Jack's face looked a little unsure and maybe even scared. He liked it, and snorted in amusement.

"There, give that one to Jamie for Christmas." He joked, but Sophie's eyes lit up and she grinned mischievously.

"He would love it." She muttered a little wickedly as Jack tried to snatch the camera away to delete the pictures.


	16. The Truth Comes Out

.:16:.

Christmas was only a few weeks away, and Sophie was eager to finish up her gifts early. As soon as school was out that day, she said goodbye to her friends and headed off down the street to the nearest antique shop. She'd never had much success with store bought gifts. Even Jamie preferred when she would give him something she'd made. Last year she had tried to save herself the effort and bought things for everyone, and she had wound up feeling like she'd wasted a lot of money. This year she was determined to do things right.

The antique shop just down the road from her high school was surprisingly large, and she knew they had some old picture frames that would be perfect for the photos she had chosen to give out. She smiled when she remembered how Jack had said he'd help her pick them out, only to have Tooth beat him to it. She had been so happy to see Tooth again, but she knew Jack had been uncomfortable. He's relaxed a bit more the longer he'd been around the tooth fairy, but she hadn't seen him since that night.

It wasn't unusual for him to take off for a couple of days, but she couldn't help but worry when she knew he was struggling with something. Sophie suspected that he was worried of what the other Guardians would think of him because of their sudden romantic interest in each other. She silently hoped that wherever he was, he was regaining some self-confidence and would come back as fun and playful as ever. She had waited so long, hoping and wishing that maybe someday he would see her as more than his best friend's little sister. Now that she had finally taken a chance and gotten his attention, she wasn't sure she could take his rejection if he changed his mind.

Sophie sighed wistfully to herself and knotted her hands around the strap of her messenger bag. A slight feeling of guilt rose up in her as she remembered the day she'd finally realized she had fallen in love with Jack Frost. It had been a dream that made her realize it. At ten years old, she had awoken from a vivid dream and everything had made sense. She had suddenly known exactly why being around him made her so happy, and why she blushed when he smiled at her, and why she was sad when he left.

She had also understood that he was a teenager, and she had just been a little girl, and she would always just be a little girl to him. After that, it had hurt to see him. And so she had done the only thing she could think of; she had turned her back on him. It had hurt at first, but as time went on the pain of ignoring him was numbed. She knew it had upset him, and several times she had almost broken down and admitted that she was only pretending she didn't believe in him. But she just couldn't bring herself to reignite their friendship, and after a while he had forgotten about her.

For five years, she had managed to avoid him and pretend everything was fine and normal. School and friends had kept her busy, and when she did happen across him it was as simple as not looking at him or reacting when he spoke. He was so used to being invisible, he'd never thought twice about it. Everything was going fine until the night she'd found him in that tree.

She wasn't sure how, but she just knew he'd been waiting there, specifically for her. Part of her had whispered darkly that she should keep going, she was so close to being normal and happy without him in her life. The rest of her had screamed to stop and talk and give it a try. The worst that could happen would be that he'd reject her, and even then she'd at least have closure.

Looking up in surprise, Sophie found that she'd already arrived at the antique shop. She'd been so lost in thought, she'd forgotten she was even headed there. Ducking inside the door, a tiny bell jingled to announce her arrival. She waved hello to an old woman behind the counter, then wandered slowly down the aisles toward the shelves where she'd seen the old picture frames.

Her fingers traced idly over some of the items she passed, and she smiled slightly in amusement when she thought of how Jack was so much older than nearly everything in the shop. She made a mental note to bring him here sometime. He'd get a kick out of seeing some antiques, and she was curious for him to tell her what life was like when some of these things were new.

Hurrying along, she picked out perhaps too many picture frames, then headed to the counter to pay for them. She wanted to be home in time to finish Jack's present, since she had a feeling he was going to be busy this Christmas. The old woman thanked her with a kindly smile, and Sophie clutched the bag of carefully wrapped picture frames to her chest as she headed back out the door.

There was a cold breeze blowing along the streets as she stepped outside. Looking up, she noticed the sky was still a light blue, with only a few clouds in sight. It was a clear, beautiful winter day. Feeling a little disappointed, Sophie turned and headed home. It wasn't far to her house, and after a few turns she was heading down a neighborhood street with a few trees hanging over the sidewalk and kids playing in snow-covered yards.

"Sophie!"

A voice caught her attention, and she paused and turned to see a boy from her school emerging from a garage nearby. He'd apparently been cleaning something, and wiped his hands self-consciously on his pants as he approached her. He avoided her eyes at first, and she didn't miss the light blush that colored his cheeks.

"Hey, I haven't seen you in a while." He said softly.

"Hi, Jason. I've been pretty busy lately." Sophie said politely. She wasn't sure what to say, but didn't want to be rude and leave, so she waited patiently for him to say something. He fidgeted a little under her gaze, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I was wondering, if you weren't too busy, maybe-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as a generous amount of snow was dumped on him from the tree branches overhead.

Sophie's hand flew to her mouth to hide the shocked smile, and she glanced up to see Jack Frost himself lounging casually in the branches overhead.

Jason let out a curse, flailing a little to try and rid himself of the snow. It slid down the back of his shirt and he cried out in unpleasant surprise. Sophie could hear laughter from the garage he'd emerged from, and she looked over to see two teenage boys had been watching them. The young man blushed in embarrassment, and Sophie tried to look concerned as he turned and stomped towards his house.

"I'll see you later…" He mumbled miserably, and Sophie turned away and glared playfully up at Jack as he chuckled.

She continued walking, not looking over when Jack landed softly on the sidewalk next to her. He rested his staff on his shoulder, looking rather smug. When they were far enough away, Sophie opened her mouth to chastise Jack, but wound up letting out a small giggle instead.

Jack waited until they were safely in Sophie's backyard before he wound her into a hug, pressing her bag of picture frames between them. She moved to set it on the porch, then turned back and wrapped her arms up around his shoulders. He rested his hands on her waist and pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes sliding closed as he enjoyed her presence for a moment. After a few long, tender seconds of affection, Sophie leaned up to kiss him lightly and he happily returned it.

"I was starting to think maybe Tooth scared you off." Sophie said quietly.

Laughter rumbled in his chest as he kissed her again.

"Nah, I don't scare that easy." He said in amusement.

"Ah, I see. You just had some urgent snowball fights to start." Sophie teased lightly.

"You know, it means a lot to me that you understand." Jack said with mock sincerity. Sophie stuck her tongue out at him and stepped away to pick up her bag.

Jack let out a sharp yelp of surprise as he was yanked from his feet, and Sophie spun to see none other than Bunnymund holding him in the air by the back of his hoodie.

"Bunny!" She blurted out, half in disapproval and half in joy.

"We'll catch up later, love." He said sweetly, giving her a wink before turning his gaze on the teenager struggling in his grasp.

"As for you, Frostbite, you're comin' with me." Bunnymund's voice was low and dripping with venom.

Jack stilled a little at his words and set his jaw in determination. He'd known this would come sooner or later, and he gripped his staff to his chest as he readied himself.

"All right, Cottontail. Let's do this." He said in a bored tone, smirking a little as he saw the Pooka bristle angrily.

Bunnymund stomped his foot, then unceremoniously dropped Jack in the hole the moment it appeared. He stepped in right behind him, and Sophie was left clutching her hands to her chest and staring uncertainly as the hole closed and a delicate pink flower sprouted from the snow.

* * *

_A/n: There ya go, Bunnymund knows. I hope it was surprising, I really wanted to hit you guys in the face with it! I've never tried writing an accent before, but I'll do my best not to make it awful. One of you asked to get more into Sophie's head, so I thought this would be the perfect chapter to give you some of her thoughts on things. And don't worry, Jamie gets a chapter, too! _


	17. Confrontation

.:17:.

Jack landed softly in the packed dirt, then planted his staff and leaned heavily on it. A moment later he heard Bunnymund land behind him. Jack gazed around lazily at the Warren, then slowly turned to face the angry Pooka. Bunny stood there with his arms crossed, glaring menacingly at Jack.

"Why is it, whenever I start to like ya, you do something stupid to remind me that I hate you?" Bunny asked bitterly.

Jack was actually caught a little off-guard. He'd been expecting screaming and yelling or for Bunny to at least hit him, he hadn't been prepared for him to be calm. He scuffed at the dirt with his bare toes and gritted his teeth as he felt anger rising up inside him.

"What exactly did I do that was so stupid?" Jack asked slowly, narrowing his eyes at the oversized rabbit.

Bunny scoffed at his question, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Are you serious? I come up on you makin' eyes at my sweet little ankle-biter and you don't know what you did to piss me off?" Bunny growled harshly, moving forward to poke Jack in the chest.

The winter spirit took a few steps back, then circled around the Pooka with his staff at his side. He was practically bristling with anger, and frost began creeping along his staff from his clenched fingers.

"Oh, come on! You didn't happen across us, you were waiting there to see if what Tooth said was true!" Jack snapped.

Bunny narrowed his own eyes, his hand tightening into a fist. Jack let out a snort when Bunny didn't deny it. Jack had known Tooth would spread the word the night she'd found him in Sophie's room, and he was actually thankful he hadn't had to tell Bunnymund himself.

"You got no business with my Sophie." Bunnymund ground out.

"Sophie's not a kid anymore, she's a young woman and she can make her own decisions." Jack shot back.

"She's a teenager going through a rough spot and she needs direction!" Bunnymund took a threatening step forward.

"You're not her father, Cottontail! It's not your place to decide what's best for her!" Jack nearly shouted, quickly losing his temper with the overprotective rabbit.

Bunny sighed and held his hands up more or less in surrender.

"You're right, mate. I'm not her dad, but she doesn't have one and every kid needs somebody lookin' out for them." Bunny said quietly. His shoulders slumped a little and Jack relaxed a bit.

"I can look out for her just fine. She's safe and she's happy, why are you so upset over this?" Jack asked, still eyeing the Pooka wearily.

"She might be happy now, Jack. But what about in ten years? What about twenty? Are you gonna be there with her when she's old, acting like everything's fine?" Bunny asked a little accusingly.

"Why not? If that's what she wants, why shouldn't I stay with her?" Jack asked sharply. Bunny's ears drooped a little and his gaze softened with sadness.

"Because it's not right. She's supposed to grow up, forget about us, and have a normal, human life. I know ya love her, so do I, but we need to give her space. Think about it, Jack. If she's attached to you, she's not going to get married, or have kids. People will treat her differently, she'll be the weird girl in the corner that talks to nothing." Bunny looked at Jack with misery in his eyes, as if he could already see a future in which Sophie was reclusive and unwanted.

"The longer she's with you, the better the chance she's going to think about things she shouldn't. There are things that she just doesn't need to realize exist, but with you and your magic everywhere sooner or later she's going to catch on. Adults were never meant to believe, it's dangerous." Bunnymund sighed heavily, and Jack felt his own shoulders slump a little in defeat.

"I know… I'm just so tired or being alone, and I never thought I could be with a girl… And she seems so happy…" Jack groaned and rubbed his temple, then flashed Bunny a miserable, somewhat irritated look. "What do you want me to do?" He asked in exasperation.

"Look, mate. I'm not saying ya can't be together… I'm just worried about my ankle-biter, and I don't see how this could end well. For either of you. It's your decision, I could bark all I want but you're not gonna listen. I just want you to know what you're getting into." Bunnymund said gently.

Jack's chest constricted at the weight of Bunny's words. It was all the things he hadn't wanted to think about, everything he'd been trying to ignore for weeks. He got the impression that Bunnymund was speaking from experience, and he wondered if the Pooka had gone through the same thing he was now facing. He set the end of his staff back into the dirt and leaned against it, pressing his cheek to the comfortingly cold wood.

"Just… Keep her safe. Alright?" Bunny said sternly, then moved forward to clap a hand against his shoulder a little awkwardly.

Jack gave him a weak smile of reassurance, too lost in his own thoughts to continue the argument.

"And remember." Bunny paused to whip out a boomerang, taking a long, dramatic moment to run a thumb over the edge. "If I catch you tryin' anything naughty with my little ankle-biter, you'll be wearin' this home as a tail. I don't have to like what you're up to, but I don't have to just sit back and watch, either." Bunnymund said threateningly, drawing some satisfaction from the cringe on Jack's face.

An urgent chirping caught their attention, and Jack watched in surprise as Baby Tooth zoomed into view and flew right into Bunnymund's face. She chirped angrily, one tiny hand on her hip and the other pointing accusingly at the boomerang in his hand.

"Oh my goodness, there you are! I thought we'd be too late!" Toothiana breathed with relief as she flitted up next to them.

Jack looked behind her and saw North emerging from one of his portals. He raised his arms in greeting as he saw the winter spirit.

"Ah! Tooth said you would be fighting." He said with amusement. In a few long strides he was beside Jack, wrapping one large arm around him more or less in a hug.

"Well, Bunny took off so abruptly, I thought he was going to pick a fight about Sophie… I'm sorry, I didn't think he'd be upset. It was good news to me…" Tooth looked guilty and gazed sadly at Jack.

"Nah, we were just havin' a friendly conversation." Bunny said nonchalantly. He slowly slid his boomerang back into its holster and flashed Tooth a charming smile.

"Really?" Tooth asked with doubt. She glanced at Jack for confirmation and he shrugged.

"Yea, actually, he was being quite civilized." Jack gave Bunny a snarky grin, and the Pooka bristled in anger as North let out booming laughter.

"No need to fight! This is good news! Sophie is special girl to all of us. Who knows, maybe Manny will decide to make her Guardian!" North said excitedly, nearly choking Jack who was still trapped under his arm.

"Whoa, whoa! Let's not jump to conclusions! We don't get to pick who becomes a Guardian." Bunnymund said furiously. North wrapped his other arm around the Pooka and lifted him from the ground, apparently not hearing his complaints.

"Oh! That would be wonderful! Our sweet little Sophie!" Tooth clapped excitedly and Baby Tooth chirped her approval.

"He's not gonna make Sophie a Guardian! It was bad enough he chose Frostbite here." Bunnymund said harshly.

"I thought you're supposed to be the Guardian of Hope." Tooth chided teasingly.

"You're talkin' about false hope, it's different." Bunnymund ground out, finally clawing himself free of North's grasp and brushing his fur back into place.

"Oh, come on, Bunny. Don't you-" Tooth started, but Jack cut her off.

"No, he's right. Just because we all got close to her and care about her doesn't mean she's ever going to be one of us. We shouldn't psych ourselves up for something that's not gonna happen." Jack said a little bitterly. He shrugged out from under North's arm and started to walk away.

"Hold up, mate. I'm comin' with you." Bunny called out. Jack turned and gestured to say '_be my guest'_, and the Pooka bounded up alongside him.

Tooth watched them go, landing softly on the ground and letting her wings droop sadly. She clasped her hands together and turned to look up at North. The two of them exchanged sad, worried glances, then North patted her gently on the back.

_A/n: I'm sorry, this took forever to write and I'm still not exactly happy with it. But this week has been an absolute ordeal and this is the best I can do right now. _

_Somebody asked what Baby Tooth said to embarrass Tooth in chapter 15. When I wrote it I imagined her saying "When he takes off his shirt, is it hot or cold?" And then Tooth was horrified that Baby Tooth would suggest the two were shedding clothing together. _


	18. Catching Up

.:18:.

Jack smiled up at the sky as the wind whispered invitingly against his face. They hadn't been in the Warren very long, and the sun was still shining over Burgess. He was sitting on top of the fence around the backyard of the Bennet house, and Bunnymund leaned against the wooden planks beside his feet. Sophie was apparently cleaning the kitchen at the moment, and Jack was surprised that Bunnymund was actually willing to wait for her with him.

"How often do you visit Sophie?" Jack asked curiously. The heavy silence between them was getting to him, and he tapped his heels against the fence a little impatiently.

Bunny was inspecting the edge of his boomerang, and a deep laugh rumbled in his chest. He didn't look up, just grinned to himself.

"Maybe once every couple months." He said almost mysteriously.

"Really? What do you guys do?" Jack asked, leaning forward and peering down at his companion.

"Well, sometimes we sit around and talk, sometimes we paint stuff. Every once in a while I take her to the Warren and let her take pictures." Bunny glanced up at the house, then back to his boomerang when Sophie didn't appear.

"Does she ever talk about me?" Jack asked quietly.

"No, mate. Not even once." Bunny chuckled in dark amusement.

Jack scowled down at him, then slid down from the fence and headed toward the house. Bunny watched him go, but made no move to follow him. The back door lead right into the kitchen, and Jack eased it open carefully and peeked inside.

Sophie was standing in front of the sink with her back to the door, humming a little to herself as she rinsed a pan. Jack stepped inside and silently eased the door closed. He set the end of his staff gently on the tiles, then watched Sophie carefully as ice began creeping along the kitchen floor.

It didn't take long before the floor was covered. Sophie finished rinsing the pan, then turned to grab a towel. As she moved her foot to lean forward it slipped across the ice, sending her jolting to the side in surprise. She inhaled sharply, then Jack had her by the arm as he spun her gracefully across the kitchen. He stopped abruptly, holding her close as her feet tried to slide out from under her again. She was panting in shock, clinging to his hoodie as she stared up at him with eyes the size of dinner plates. Jack laughed softly at the look on her face, then kissed the tip of her nose affectionately.

"I'm bored, and Harvey's still waiting out there for you." Jack said with a grin.

"Harvey?" Sophie asked in confusion. Jack sighed sadly.

"I guess that movie was a bit before your time…" He muttered as he braced his arm against her back and swung her around. He set her gently on the welcome mat in front of the back door.

"Go on, go visit with your bunny-rabbit." He said teasingly.

Sophie rolled her eyes, but didn't complain when he leaned down to kiss her. She wound her arms around his neck and sighed happily as she leaned against him. A yell of surprise and a loud thump shattered their moment, and the two looked over to see Jamie sprawled on the floor. Jack immediately burst into laughter, and Jamie scowled darkly at him as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"You suck." The young man growled. Sophie hid a grin behind her hand and turned toward the door.

"Walk much?" Jack laughed, then smacked Jamie's shoe with his staff. Frost started spreading across his foot, and Jamie wrenched his shoe off and hurled it at Jack.

"Who covers a kitchen floor in ice? Were you trying to kill someone?" Jamie tried to sound angry, but he couldn't hide his grin.

"You should look where you're going." Jack said pointedly. Jamie's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"This is my house! I shouldn't have to walk around watching for patches of ice!" He shot back. "Besides, I was distracted. I came down here looking for a snack, and instead I find the Lord of Snowflakes mackin' on my poor baby sister."

Sophie cleared her throat and tugged gently at Jack's sleeve. "I'll see you tonight?" She asked softly.

"Yea, I'll be here. Have fun doing… whatever it is you do with a giant rabbit." He said sweetly. Sophie smiled and gave him a hug before ducking out the back door.

"Bunnymund's here? Pfft. He never invites me to hang out with them." Jamie muttered as he got to his feet and retrieved his shoe.

Jack looked out the window to watch as Sophie rushed to give Bunnymund a hug. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the Pooka so happy. Sophie appeared to be talking excitedly, and Bunny focused all of his attention on her, even as he tapped his foot and opened a tunnel.

"Yea, that's probably my fault. I think you remind him too much of me." Jack mumbled with a grin as he watched Sophie enthusiastically jump into the hole Bunny had opened. He glanced back over to Jamie when he heard him snort in amusement. He had moved forward and was watching out the window, and he elbowed Jack teasingly.

"A giant rabbit just ran off with your girlfriend." Jamie laughed and headed back toward the stairs. Jack chuckled to himself and shook his head at his friend's comment.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Jack said jokingly.

Jamie's feet slid a little on the icy floor, and he paused at the doorway to admire the kitchen.

"When's your mom get home?" Jack asked curiously. Jamie grinned.

"She stopped in to shower and change. She's got a date tonight. She might not be home til morning." Jamie turned to waggle his eyebrows at him and Jack cringed.

"She just leaves you guys here all alone?" He asked. Jamie snorted and stopped halfway up the stairs to give him a flat look.

"Unlike certain people, I actually made it past my eighteenth birthday." Jamie said with a smirk. Jack narrowed his eyes, but laughed at the jab anyway.

"Ooh, ouch." He said in amusement.

He followed Jamie up to his room, watching somewhat curiously as the young man headed straight for his computer. He flopped down into his chair, thought for a moment, then turned slowly to stare dramatically at Jack.

"You haven't been bothering to hang out with me since you realized my little sister is a teenaged girl." Jamie said almost accusingly.

Jack leaned against his staff with a guilty look on his face. Jamie leaned back in his chair, clicked on his computer idly with one hand, then slowly leveled his gaze on Jack again.

"Feel like makin' it up to me?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

"What are you up to?" Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Jamie pulled a set of keys from his pocket and held them up for him to see.

"My mom got picked up, she said I can use her car tonight." Jamie said mysteriously.

"And you're planning on taking me where..?" Jack suddenly wasn't sure he was comfortable with whatever Jamie had in mind.

"There's an old building outside of town, it used to be a mill but it was closed down a long time ago. Supposedly it's haunted, and I was hoping you would go investigate it with me. I'm willing to bet you can see a lot of things I can't." Jamie said seriously.

Jack couldn't think of a good excuse not to, and he reluctantly nodded.

"Alright, I guess I do owe you. Don't get your hopes up, though." Jack sighed heavily and a vicious grin spread across Jamie's face.

* * *

_A/n: For those of you that don't know, _"Harvey"_ is a movie from 1950 about a man and his best friend, an invisible six foot tall rabbit named Harvey. Bunnymund makes me think of that movie._


	19. Investigation

.:19:.

Jack gazed out the window as Burgess passed slowly by. It was strange for him to see the city from the streets, he recognized his surroundings better from the air. He shifted his staff between his knees and glanced uneasily at Jamie. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jamie's driving, he just didn't like how mature the young man looked behind the wheel.

"How'd you even hear about this place?" Jack asked.

"Internet." Jamie grinned over at him and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Of course…" He mumbled in amusement.

"You should really try it sometime, you can find anything on the internet."

Jack eyed him, but Jamie stared at the road ahead and only a slight smirk graced his lips.

"What could I possibly need to find on a computer?" Jack asked slowly and with a hint of amusement.

Jamie exhaled and made a humming noise as he thought, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. After a few long moments he glanced over at Jack, only to find that the winter spirit was watching him expectantly.

"I don't know, shoes? Maybe you could order yourself a new pair of pants. You could look up pictures of snow or something." Jamie chuckled a little as Jack shook his head in exasperation and rubbed a hand against the side of his face.

"There's nothing wrong with my pants." He muttered. Jamie snorted in response.

"Dude, your pants are what? Three hundred years old? It's bad enough you've been wearing the same hoodie since I met you. I can't believe my sister can take you seriously." Jamie was grinning again, and let out a bark of laughter when he caught the horrified look on Jack's face.

"What do you have against my clothing? I'm immortal, I don't go shopping! Besides, my mom made these for me…" He mumbled the last part and his face fell as he ran his fingers over the worn material.

"I'm sure she did. Right after your dad finished chopping down trees to build the house you lived in."

"I'm going to wait until you're asleep, and I'm going to freeze your head to your pillow." Jack said with mock cheer. Jamie was unfazed, but didn't respond. He simply smiled to himself as the lights of Burgess faded in the rear-view mirror.

The car ride was actually sort of pleasant. It reminded Jack of those rare times when North would take him somewhere in the sleigh. Except without the swerving and screaming. He gazed out the window as the trees rushing by, briefly illuminated in the headlights. Maybe he'd go see North soon, Christmas was coming up and he'd always meant to go and help out.

Jamie slowed down and Jack looked over at him curiously as the turn signal clicked. They turned left onto another road heading up through the trees, and Jack noticed a few scattered houses back in the woods. After a few more minutes, they passed through a small arrangement of houses, and Jack noticed a couple of shops that looked a little run-down. It looked like the area had come close to becoming a new town at some point, but had since withered and only a handful of families still lived here. Jamie turned again just past a dimly lit convenience store, and Jack noticed the pavement was cracked and falling apart. It might as well have been gravel, and he sat up straighter to stare out the window with curiosity.

There was another patch of trees, then they were driving along the edge of the forest and a pond rested on the far side of a field to their right. Standing beside the pond, a large concrete building could be seen in the moonlight. Some lights on the far side indicated there were houses nearby, and Jack suspected the road wound up and around to a neighborhood that used to house workers for the mill. Now it was just another area full of families that had gotten sick of living in town.

Jamie pulled off to the side of the road, shut the car off, then glanced over at Jack. Without a word, Jamie opened his door and stepped out into the night. Jack followed his lead, enjoying the feel of the breeze in his hair. Jamie took a moment to grab a bag from the backseat, then made his way carefully around the car to stand beside Jack on the edge of the road.

"This doesn't freak you out at all?" Jack asked, glancing around at the darkness and then gesturing towards the cluster of cement structures barely visible above the tall grass of the field.

"Not really, should it?" Jamie replied, shouldering his backpack and taking a few steps forward.

"You're just going to walk into an abandoned building in the middle of the night alone, with a camera, specifically to see if it's haunted." Jack stated, shoving one hand in his pocket as he moved forward to follow Jamie.

"I'm not alone." Jamie said pointedly. Jack scoffed.

"Try telling that to any other humans you run into. 'Oh, I'm not alone, my buddy Jack Frost is right here!' They'd think you're a lunatic." He chuckled a little at the mental image, but Jamie just shrugged.

After a few minutes of trying to struggle through the tall grass, Jack leapt up into the air with a huff of irritation. He floated lazily along the breeze, watching Jamie stride purposefully through the grass. The young man glanced up to smirk and shake his head at him.

He got bored waiting for Jamie and glided silently toward the nearest concrete structure. Landed softly on some rubble, then glanced around. It was hard to tell exactly what the building had once been, it appeared to have been gutted by a fire a long time ago. It was merely a concrete shell now, with graffiti marking some walls. He stepped in a few feet, glancing around a corner to be met with nothing but darkness.

The debris was sharp against his bare feet, and he scuffed his toes against some rocks in distaste. Walking in a slow circle, he tapped his staff against a wall and listened as the sound echoed eerily. He was about to turn and meet up with Jamie when he heard some rocks clatter somewhere inside the structure.

Stopping with a jolt, Jack turned to peer into the darkness, his brows knitting together and his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Dread began to fill him, and he wanted to ask Jamie to get back in the car and go home, but he knew the young man wouldn't listen. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he heard more rocks falling, like someone had tripped somewhere in the dark.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he jumped, spinning to hold his staff in front of himself defensively. Jamie stepped back with his hands up, a light grin on his face.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark." He snickered in amusement as Jack glared and relaxed.

"What are we even doing here, Jamie? This place is giving me the creeps…" Jack tried to look nonchalant, but he kept glancing warily into the darkness.

"Worried the Boogeyman's gonna pop out and getcha?" Jamie held his hands up and curled his fingers into claws, grinning like a maniac as Jack took a few steps back.

His eyes widened and he gripped his staff tightly in his hands, but Jamie clapped him on the shoulder and brushed past him into the structure.

"Chill out, the Boogeyman isn't real, remember?" Jamie turned to smile over his shoulder at him.

Jack relaxed at his words, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. If Pitch was lurking in this horrible, empty, possibly haunted building, at least he didn't have to worry about Jamie seeing him. He hadn't gotten the impression Pitch was up to anything nefarious, but he also knew the Nightmare King was skilled at manipulation. It was entirely possible Pitch could have played him for a fool.

He followed Jamie silently through the dark. The young man had pulled out a camera by now, and Jack assumed it was night-vision since there was a distinct lack of light. His toes brushed against something that felt suspiciously like broken glass, and he grimaced.

"Well? See anything otherworldly?" Jamie asked curiously, turning to point his camera in Jack's face.

"I can't see anything at all." Jack responded flatly. Jamie chuckled at the spirit's indifference toward his mission.

"Maybe we should split up. This place is pretty big. Here, it's my old camera." Jamie handed him something, and Jack took it.

After a moment of scuffling, Jamie managed to turn a flashlight on so he could show Jack how to use the camera.

"It doesn't have night-vision, but I don't think anyone will notice it you use the light I installed. Just don't run outside shining it everywhere. Also, try to be careful. I know you're immortal and all, but this place is kind of falling apart and I can't imagine you would enjoy having a concrete wall land on you." Jamie clapped him on the shoulder.

"What is it with your family and cameras?" Jack asked curiously.

"It's not just my family, it's most families. Cameras are freakin' awesome, everybody should have one." Jamie said seriously. Jack eyed him, but Jamie clicked his flashlight off and resumed walking down the corridor with his fancy camera.

Jack ran his fingers over the flashlight Jamie had taped to the side of the camera, grinning at his friend's use of the word 'installed'. He briefly considered rushing up on Jamie, then turning the light on, just to see what would happen. He decided that would be horribly mean, and instead faced the opposite direction and clicked the light on.

The light didn't reveal much besides concrete walls and darkness. The dim glow of the small flashlight didn't illuminate much, but it was enough to see that he was standing in a hallway littered with chucks of cement and rocks. He listened to Jamie's footsteps as they echoed off the walls around him, then vanished into nothingness. He knew Jamie was expecting him to alert him to anything supernatural he might witness, but he really wasn't in the mood to try and help Jamie find ghosts tonight. Jack couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen a ghost himself, they were so mournful and creepy he tended to avoid them. Clicking the flashlight on and off purely for entertainment, Jack sighed heavily and headed down a corridor away from the direction Jamie had headed in.

The old mill hadn't been one single building, it had been several, perhaps connected by wooden structures. Jack stepped out into the cool night, enjoying the fresh air for a moment before glancing toward the next closest building. His heart wasn't into it, but he would do anything for Jamie. He forced himself to trudge forward through the tall grass.

The next closest building was the tallest, the one he had seen from the road. It was at least four stories high, and old enough that maple trees had sprouted and flourished inside. Their tallest branches brushed against the decayed roofing, most of which had long since fallen away. Jack took a moment to enjoy the absolute silence. It was glorious. Nothing but the wind whispering gently through the old, hallow building. It rustled through the trees, and Jack aimed his camera/flashlight at the walls. He pressed the button to record, then did a sweep of the old building. Some of the graffiti was really beautiful. A giant red poinsettia took up most of one wall, and he made sure to get a decent shot of it. There were old cement ledges, indicating that at some point train tracks had lead through this building. He watched the screen as he moved the camera in front of him, starting to have some fun with it. He could see some old fire pits, and even caught sight of a few old beer cans as he stepped forward.

Laughter nearly caused him to drop the camera.

Jack spun toward the doorway he'd just passed through. Goosebumps spread along his arms and he inhaled sharply. He held his breath and waited, listening intently.

Eventually, another ragged laugh echoed back to his ears. Leaping forward curiously, he followed the general direction the sound had come from. If he had to be here, he might as well do his best to help fulfill Jamie's wishes. He might not have been especially pleased with Jamie's supernatural fascination, but he wasn't about to stifle the dreams of his own first believer. If there was a chance he could catch a clip of a ghost for Jamie, Jack was willing to try.

He clicked off the flashlight as he ducked out the door. The building was situated in an open field, and he could see the vague outline of more structures nestled in beneath some trees. Waiting, he caught the sound of low voices, and darted forward. His eyes adjusted quickly to the bright moonlight, and he glanced up at the moon to give a quick salute in thanks. It was bright enough that he could more or less see what he was recording, without having the flashlight on to scare things away.

Jack took to the air, gliding forward silently as he kept an eye on the ground below him. The grass merged almost seamlessly with a flat expanse of cement, almost making it look like part of the field was paved. There were trenches stretched across the ground, apparently at random, and he eyed them curiously as he floated overhead. He heard the voices again, and he glanced down to see two small forms picking their way through the ruins. Jack ducked down through the air and landed lightly on a tree branch.

Sighing to himself, he realized it was simply two children, probably from one of the nearby houses. They seemed to have some kind of gleeful plot in mind, and Jack leaned against the tree as he watched them. He turned the camera off in exasperation and shoved it in his pocket. He hunkered down on the tree branch and scowled down at the kids as he moved his staff to rest across his knees. They were both boys and looked to be somewhere around ten years old, and they whispered excitedly to each other as they moved slowly through the ruins.

Jack considered doing something to torment the kids, maybe freeze their shoes to the ground or something. He was deep in thought, pondering his options, when he finally noticed the children had fallen silent and had stopped moving. They had slowly moved closer to each other, and stared off into the shadows ahead of them. There was a low building ahead, and Jack heard one of the children whimper as they stared at it. Moving his staff aside, Jack leaned forward to follow the children's stares.

Something was emerging from the shadows, dragging itself from the darkness. Eerily long limbs reached out across the cement, clawing for a grip and the creature dragged itself forward. Its head tilted back and it let out a low, mournful groan. The two children shrieked in terror, smacking against each other in panic as they turned to run. One of them tripped, scrambling frantically as he tore after his companion. The children's sobbing echoed back to him as they vanished into the night, and Jack's brows furrowed in confusion. He looked back to where the creature had been, but it was gone. As he watched, a figure stepped from the shadows. Jack narrowed his eyes when he recognized Pitch Black.

Pitch moved forward, standing where the boys had been moments ago. He let out a low chuckle of amusement. Jack stood up on the tree branch, and the movement immediately caught Pitch's eye. The Nightmare King actually looked a little startled, then narrowed his own eyes and hissed hatefully at Jack.

Jack threw himself forward just as Pitch melted back into the shadows. His feet touched down and he held his staff forward, his jaw set as he scanned the darkness.

"Pitch!" Jack called out a little threateningly. He paced the area, searching for any sign of his enemy.

A few minutes passed as Jack warily eyed his surroundings. He had expected something, a few dark threats or snarky remarks from the shadows at least. The night had fallen back into silence, and Jack lowered his staff, slightly confused. He moved back over to where the boys had stopped, examining the area for some kind of clue as to what Pitch might have been doing there. Finding nothing, he stepped forward along the path to where Pitch had created the image of a creature.

In the shadows of the low structure, right in the path of the two children, Jack found another trench hidden in darkness. Decaying wooden boards covered it, and as he tapped his staff against them one of the boards cracked an a chunk fell down, crashing noisily against the thorny brambles growing along the bottom.

Jack was frozen in shock when he realized if the children had continued through the ruins, they would have crossed right over the trench. They could have fallen a good ten feet onto the thorns, and it could have ended very badly for them. It could have, except that the Boogeyman himself had scared them off. He stared down at his discovery, taking a few long moments to come to terms with the fact that he had just witnessed Pitch Black using fear to protect children.

The other Guardians would never believe it. Jack's hand immediately snapped to his pocket, and then he slapped his hand to his face when he realized he could have videotaped the whole thing. A small smile creeped across his face, and he wondered if maybe after all these centuries, Pitch might have found his center.

Footsteps pounded on the concrete behind him, and he turned to see Jamie approaching. His eyes were wide and his lips parted as he caught sight of the winter spirit, lingering in the shadows. Jack moved forward to meet his confused friend, shouldering his staff casually.

"Jack! Did you see those kids? They came tearing through here in a panic screaming that the Boogeyman was trying to get them." He took a moment to catch his breath and Jack shrugged.

He knew Pitch wasn't keen on becoming a Guardian anytime soon, and he obviously hadn't intended for Jack to see him tonight. He was willing to bet spreading the word that Pitch was lurking around doing good deeds was a quick way to get him to stop. He thought quickly, then put of a mischievous grin.

"I couldn't resist." He said mysteriously, immediately turning to wander away.

Jamie gave him a suspicious glance, then rolled his eyes.

"Troublemaker." He muttered as he followed his friend.

* * *

_A/n: Well, here's a longer chapter for you since I know the short chapters aren't particularly popular. It's not exactly what I'd been hoping for, but it's the best I can do right now. I've been wanting to put this location into the story for a while, so here's the first appearance. It's more or less a copy of a real place, the Vernonia Mill in Oregon, the way it looked about fifteen years ago. _

_Again, thank you for reviewing. I really like some of the ideas you guys give me and the questions you ask. If there's something specific you would like to see feel free to request it, though I can't guarantee I'll use your idea._


	20. Growing Up

_A/n: If Jamie was Jack's first believer, how did people know his name? _

.:20:.

"Hey, Jack?" Sophie asked softly.

Jack hummed a response, his eyes closed and his head nestled into her lap. It was the most comfortable thing he had ever experienced, and as she toyed with his hair he thought he might just die of bliss. His arm was curled up and around her hip and she was leaned back against her bedroom wall.

"Do you have a home?" She asked curiously.

"Sort of… Not really, but… I mean I have a place that feels like home, but it's just a pond." He mumbled in response.

"Will you take me there?" She asked sweetly. Jack opened his eyes and rolled over to look up at her.

"Sure." He said with a gentle smile.

He crawled off her lap and stretched, giving her a moment to put her boots on and find a jacket. She wound a scarf around her neck and pulled on a hat. They'd been together long enough that Sophie had caught on that anytime he was outside in a good mood, it was likely to snow. He eased her window open and glanced back at her.

"I'll see you outside." Sophie smiled and slid out her door.

Jack jumped out the window, landing carefully in the snow and waiting patiently for Sophie. She came out the door moments later, then walked over to peer up at him expectantly.

"Which way?" She asked cheerfully.

Jack made a show of thinking, glancing up and down the street. It wasn't actually that far to his pond, and it was late enough in the evening that most families were inside. Then before Sophie could react, he darted forward and swept her right off her feet. She squealed in protest, clinging to him in sudden fear as he shot up into the air. He held her close to his chest, grinning mischievously as Sophie clung to him. She didn't seem as panicked as last time, even managing to glance down at the houses below as he let the wind carry him out over the forest. They were over his pond in just a few moments, and he ducked down through the air. Sophie's grip on him tightened, then he touched down on the snow and set Sophie gently on her feet.

She glanced around, admiring the area for a moment. She stepped forward onto the ice, the snow giving her some traction. Gazing down at the frozen pond, she scuffed at it a little with her boot and glanced back up to Jack.

"This is the last place I saw my sister." He said softly.

Sophie wasn't sure what to say to comfort him, so she stayed silent and watched him as he pulled his hood up and wandered out onto the ice.

"This is where I died." He leaned on his staff and gazed down at the snow-covered pond.

Sophie looked a little uncomfortable, and Jack snapped himself out of his thoughts. The memories weren't all bad, he really did like the pond. Smiling reassuringly, he jumped forward a few steps, dropped his staff on the ice, and wound an arm around Sophie's back. She looked at him suspiciously, but went with it as he began leading her along in a very clumsy waltz.

"I like it here, it brings back a lot of good memories." He said, his gaze softening.

Sophie glanced around a little doubtfully.

"Seems a little empty… Do you just sleep in the snow?" She asked. Jack snorted.

"I'm Jack Frost, of course I sleep in the snow." He said teasingly.

"You should try decorating, maybe get some chairs or a bench or something. We could put up Christmas lights." Sophie replied helpfully. Jack thought for a moment.

"You're already forming some kind of plan, aren't you?" He asked. Sophie grinned up at him but didn't respond.

The dance got a bit less clumsy as they moved, Sophie seemed to know it better than he did and wound up leading him. He drew her closer, and eventually they slowed to a stop. Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his back and held onto his hoodie. He brought a hand up to brush his fingertips along the side of her neck, enjoying the violent shiver that ran down her spine. She abruptly broke away from him, giggling and holding her hand to her neck.

"Your hands are freezing…" She breathed, shuffling in place to emphasize her statement.

Jack grinned and held his hands up, cupping them over his mouth. He exhaled slowly, like a normal person would to warm themselves. He held his hands out to show Sophie a fine layer of frost dusting his palms and fingers. His grin turned slightly evil and Sophie shrieked as he lunged at her.

"Jack Frost, don't you dare!" She said forcefully.

Sophie turned and ran, her feet sliding a little on the ice as her scuffling disrupted the snow. She slipped and fell to her knees as she reached the shore, scrambling up onto the bank and struggling to get her feet under her. She made it a few more feet before Jack tackled her into the snow.

Sophie giggled and cried out for him to stop as he struggled to pin her down into the snow. Her jacket rode up a little and Jack saw an opportunity. She went deathly still as he slid his hands up under the hem of her shirt and pressed his frost-covered palms against her wonderfully warm stomach. She inhaled deeply, then shrieked and began to thrash in an attempt to get away from him. An evil chuckle escaped his lips and he threw a leg over her hips, straddling her as she laughed and tried to wiggle out from under him.

His hands moved a little higher, and Sophie slowly stopped struggling as the grin left Jack's face and he suddenly looked somewhat preoccupied. His thumb began to rub idly against the soft skin of her ribcage, and Sophie looked up at him with a bemused expression.

"Jack..?" She asked carefully.

His mouth came crashing down to hers and she brought her hands up in surprise, clutching at his hoodie. She was shivering gently, but as his lips moved against hers a new warmth began to spread through her body. He forced her lips apart, but she didn't complain as he deepened the kiss. She found it similar to having an ice cube in her mouth, and it felt a little strange. But considering he was the only person she had ever kissed she really didn't have a basis for comparison. Sophie was thoroughly enjoying the sensation and subconsciously arched up against him, a low moan rising up from her chest.

Jack suddenly pulled back, looking a little startled. He stared down at her with wide eyes, a soft touch of color to his cheeks. He cleared his throat, mumbled a soft apology, then pulled her shirt back into place and slowly got to his feet. Sophie propped herself up on her elbows, arching an eyebrow at him. Jack took a moment to gather himself, then offered her a hand up.

Once Sophie was back on her feet, she straightened her hat and gazed curiously up at Jack. He looked embarrassed. She moved forward and carefully took his hand.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked with worry.

"Yea, sorry. I've got a lot on my mind lately." Jack said softly. His blush refused to fade, and he breathed deeply. "Maybe I should take you home…" He said a little awkwardly.

"Okay…" Sophie was disappointed, and she wasn't sure if she'd done something wrong.

She knew Jack wasn't used to physical contact, but she hadn't realized he was that shy about it. He almost looked like he was ashamed of himself. Sophie couldn't help the amused little smirk when she thought of Jack being embarrassed that he'd almost gone for her bra.

Jack retrieved his staff, then stalked sadly back to Sophie's side. He held his arms out, inviting her to let him pick her up bridal style, but Sophie scoffed. She moved around behind him, put her hands on his shoulder, then hopped onto his back.

"It's easier to cling to you in terror this way." She explained as he glanced back at her in surprise.

Jack laughed a little at her comment, then wrapped an arm up under her thigh to hold her in place. She seemed much less afraid of flying with him like this, and she barely jolted at all when he took off into the air. Sophie pressed a kiss to his cheek as he glided over the treetops. Jack smiled to himself, rubbing his thumb against her knee to acknowledge the show of affection. In a few more moments they were back over Sophie's neighborhood.

"Hey, there's Jamie." Sophie said, pointing past Jack's shoulder at the sidewalk.

Jack flew by overhead, landing in the backyard and letting Sophie slide down from his back. She gave him a hug, then turned when she heard Jamie round the corner into the backyard.

"Hi, Jamie!" She said cheerfully. Jamie eyed her a little.

"Hey, Soph. What's up? I didn't realize you were home." He had an odd look on his face.

"I was out with Jack." Sophie said slowly, her brow furrowing slightly. Jack realized something was wrong and stepped forward.

"You okay, man? You don't look so good." He asked with concern.

"Jack?" Jamie looked severely confused, then cracked a grin. "Soph, did you finally get a boyfriend?"

Sophie gaped at him and a look of horror crossed Jack's face.

"Whoa! That's not funny!" Jack said defensively, narrowing his eyes at the young man as he turned toward him.

Jack thought he was about to say something, but instead Jamie walked right through him.

Jack cried out, his eyes going wide and his staff falling from his hand to land heavily in the snow. Sophie gasped in shock, her hands flying up to her mouth.

"Jamie! What's wrong with you?!" Sophie shrieked. He stopped and turned to look at her like she was insane.

"What are you talking about? I feel fine." Jamie continued into the house.

Sophie turned to Jack with tears in her eyes. Jack was frozen in shock, his eyes wide with fear and breathing heavily.


	21. Christmas Eve

_A/n: Just a heads-up, I am going to start using page breaks to reduce the amount of filler I have to write to tie chapters together. Hopefully this will make it easier to write longer, more interesting chapters. Also, I totally do not have blueprints of the North Pole, so I am just guessing at what rooms would most logically be found there._

.:21:.

"I'm going after him." Sophie turned on her heel and stomped toward the house to find Jamie.

Jack felt sick, and he moved slowly as he retrieved his staff and stared down at it.

"Sophie… Wait." Jack called weakly.

Sophie paused with her hand on the doorknob. She turned to look back at him with worry as he lowered himself down to sit in the snow. He held his staff to his chest like a security blanket. He put a hand to his head miserably, and Sophie sighed heavily and sat down beside him. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I should have known. I guess I did, I just didn't want to believe it would happen to Jamie." He said softly. Sophie reached over to take one of his hands.

"Has he been acting weird?" Sophie asked quietly.

"I don't know, maybe a little. It's just… He told me the other day that the Boogeyman wasn't real, and I wanted so bad for him not to believe in Pitch that I just took it. I never stopped to think what that might mean, I guess I just thought he decided not to believe, I don't know. I feel so stupid." He leaned over and Sophie sat back as he rested his head on her chest and hugged her.

"I can go talk to him, we can get this straightened out." Sophie said reassuringly. Jack sighed.

"I don't know if we should. Everyone needs to grow up sometime, I guess I just thought Jamie might be different. He wants to be a paranormal investigator, you'd think he'd be wide open to believing in weird stuff. Maybe we should just leave him alone…" He sounded so miserable, Sophie's chest tightened.

"Jack, if it was me, would you just walk away?" She asked softly in his ear. He tensed a little and tightened his arms around her.

"No." He mumbled into her jacket.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would feel like if the girl he loved couldn't see him. If Sophie were to walk through him, he wasn't sure he wouldn't die from it. He knew someday he would have to let her grow up, but somehow he had thought he'd always have Jamie at least.

"I need to go…" Jack said miserably. Sophie nodded in understanding.

"You should go see North or Tooth, someone that's been through this before and knows what it's like." She said softly.

Jack slowly let go of her, kissed her cheek, then got to his feet. He took a few steps, then paused just before the wind picked him up.

"It might be better for him this way…" Jack said sadly. Sophie's eyes looked determined and she crossed her arms.

"You know that's not true." She stated. Jack cringed a little.

"I don't know what else to do. I'm tired of feeling like I'm being selfish." He shrugged, and before Sophie could say anything else he vanished into the sky and she was left clutching her jacket to her against the harsh winter wind.

* * *

It had been over a week and Jack hadn't come back yet. Sophie knew he needed some time to be alone and think right now. Jamie had been like a brother to him, and losing him so unexpectedly had been a major blow. She knew he must feel torn between letting Jamie grow up and intervening to keep him as a believer. Sophie was more than willing to force her brother to believe in Jack again, but it was his decision.

She leaned against her window frame and sighed. It was Christmas Eve, and she had really been hoping Jack would have at least come to see her tonight. The sun had set and she had gotten excited when it started snowing, only to realize it was slow, lifeless, normal snow. There was nothing supernatural about it.

Sophie watched from her window as a car pulled up slowly along the curb outside her house. She opened her window curiously, and after a moment a girl stepped out and put an elbow on top of the car, smiling up at the house. The front door slammed, and Sophie glared a little as Jamie dashed across the front lawn and climbed into the car. The girl ducked back in and she could hear them laughing together before they shut their doors and drove off into the night.

She would have been surprised, but she had suspected it was a girl that had finally distracted Jamie enough to forget his childhood. Leaving her window open in case the missing winter spirit decided to show up, Sophie dragged herself back to her bed and flopped down face first.

Losing herself in thought, she dozed off comforted by the soothing silence of her bedroom. A few hours passed, and Sophie was suddenly jerked awake.

She was still sprawled facedown on her bed, and she was irritated to find she'd fallen asleep fully dressed again. Wondering vaguely what had awoken her, she sat up and rubbed her face. Ice cold air was drifting in through her window, and she rubbed a hand across her face as she got up to close it. Just as she was reaching for her window, a face popped down from above and she let out a startled shriek as she jumped back.

"Hah! Now you are awake!"

Sophie breathed heavily for a few seconds as a few thoughts registered in her head.

"North?!" She was both shocked and excited, she hadn't expected to see him this year.

"I was coming through and thought I would like to see little Sophie! Come! Christmas Eve is almost over, we will celebrate!" The large man was so happy, leaning down over her window from the rooftop. Sophie smiled and bounced a little in place.

She rushed to pull her boots on and grab a jacket, then snuck carefully to her door. Once in the hallway, she paused to glance toward Jamie's room. She didn't know if he'd come home yet, and she was suddenly filled with sadness when she thought of the past years the two of them spent waiting for North to show up in their livingroom. Pushing the thought from her mind, she tip-toed down the stairs and out the front door, easing it shut quietly behind her.

Sophie tended to share Bunnymund's fear of the sleigh, but recently flying with Jack had taught her to be more trusting. North was apparently finished with his Christmas Eve rounds, and the sun was coming up over the horizon as she took a seat a little nervously in the sleigh. North was just getting settled when something clicked in Sophie's mind and she shot to her feet.

"Oh! North, can you do something for me? Please? I thought of something to do for Jack, and it's Christmas." She rushed forward and dug her rather small hands into the sleeve of his coat. He looked sideways at her and put a hand to his chin as he considered it.

"I'm not sure, Jack has gotten back on top of Naughty list this year…" He said half-jokingly.

Sophie leaned down a little and did her best to pout and give him puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Santa?" She made her voice as small and adorable as possible and North nearly melted.

"Ah! So cute! Alright, what is it you want?" He asked, chuckling as Sophie beamed happily and leaned her head against his shoulder.

* * *

Sophie yawned and rubbed her eyes, following along behind North as he made his way through the workshop. Having finished her request in record time, Sophie judged she still had a couple of hours before she needed to be home, and there was no way she was going to miss out on visiting with North on his own holiday.

"Poor tired Sophie, would you like some coffee?" He asked over his shoulder. She gave him an odd, tired look.

"What happened to hot cocoa?" She asked. North laughed like she had just told a joke.

"I have cocoa, I can put some in the coffee if you like." He replied with an amused smile.

"That actually sounds really good." Sophie said, perking up at the idea.

"Good! Go wait, I think you will like what you find in there." North said with a wink, and Sophie paused to glance down the hall at the doorway he gestured toward.

There was an arched doorway off to the side of the hall, and Sophie wandered over toward it curiously. It had been a long time since she'd been here, but it seemed familiar. Peeking around the doorway she spotted a roaring fireplace with rugs and comfortable looking couches. Iced-over windows lined the back wall, filling the room with a beautiful glow. Benches sat beneath the windows and she saw a few bookshelves and tables around the room. Her gaze reached the far side of the room and there, tucked away in the corner farthest from the fire, was Jack Frost.

His hood was up and he held his staff over one shoulder and between his knees. He seemed deep in thought, but glanced up when she stepped slowly into the room. She wondered for a moment if he hadn't wanted to see her and thought she might be interrupting something, but his eyes lit up and he literally flew across the room to meet her.

"Sophie…" He breathed against her hair as he dropped his staff and pulled her into a hug. She wound her arms around his back.

"I was so worried…" She said softly.

"I'm alright." He leaned back to smile a little sadly at her. "I've been talking to North, I'm feeling better about it now."

Sophie reached up with one hand to pull back his hood, she didn't like how sad it made him look. His hair fell down around his face and she brushed her fingers through it affectionately. Jack leaned his forehead against hers and smiled to himself.

* * *

_A/n: Sorry to cut it short, but it was either stop here and post a new chapter, or wait a few days just to make it a little longer. _


	22. Christmas Morning

.:22:.

Jack and Sophie had settled down onto a couch together by the time North arrived with the coffee. Sophie was leaned against Jack's side comfortably, their hands entwined and resting on his knee. North gave them a knowing smile as he set the tray on a table and dragged it over in front of the two teenagers.

"Good, you got him to smile. He looked so miserable, it was making me sad." North said with gentle humor. Jack looked a little guilty.

"You just sat in here moping the whole time?" Sophie asked in disbelief. She couldn't resist the coffee, however, and snaked her hands free to lean forward and grab the closest mug.

"Not the whole time, that would have been boring…" Jack mused quietly as he curiously took the mug North had clearly set there for him.

The coffee was piping hot, though North didn't seem to mind as he sipped at it and lounged comfortably on a couch. Sophie blew gently on hers and Jack chuckled in amusement. He stopped her and leaned over to blow softly on her coffee, leaving the top frozen. It quickly melted, and the coffee was considerably cooler.

"What would I do without you?" Sophie asked playfully.

She started sipping gingerly at the coffee and watched as Jack sniffed at his own mug and seemed to approve. Sophie almost spilled her cup when Jack tipped the steaming hot mug back and took a few long drinks. He held the last mouthful for a moment, then started crunching on it as it had turned to ice in his mouth. Sophie stared over at him as North's booming laughter filled the room.

"What?" He asked with mock ignorance. Sophie shook her head in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry to drag you here so early, Sophie. I just could not stand watching Jack sulk anymore." North said honestly.

"Hey! It's not like I was dragging myself around and whining." Jack said defensively.

"Yes, but you were very quiet. It was… unsettling. I was worried to leave you alone." North chuckled at the slightly offended look on Jack's face.

"Is that why Phil keeps checking on me?" Jack asked curiously. He gestured towards the door and North turned in his chair to see a yeti lean in from the hallway to glare into the room. He pointed at Jack a little threateningly and Sophie snickered into his shoulder.

"Uh, no. That is just Phil." North smiled a little as he watched the yeti keeping tabs on Jack.

"Phil! Jack Frost is family now! Hah! Be nice to your brother!" North howled in laughter and smacked his knee as the yeti cried out in shocked indignation.

* * *

Jack kneeled warily on the windowsill as he helped Sophie inside her bedroom. She turned to face him, biting her lip as he lingered there. He worried his staff between his fingers and stared at the floor, trying to decide whether he should stay or not.

"Come inside." Sophie said gently, pleading with her eyes as he slowly looked up at her.

He thought about it, then sighed heavily and slid inside the room. She knew it would hurt for him to be around Jamie now that he couldn't see Jack anymore, but she was hoping that seeing that Jamie was happy might make him feel better.

"Just for a little while, then we can go anywhere you want." Sophie assured him.

He shuffled forward like a dejected child and leaned against her, kissing her cheek as she folded her arms around him comfortingly. She snuggled into his chest until he relaxed and returned the gesture, then she kissed him lightly and turned towards her door when she heard footsteps in the hall.

"You up, Soph?" Jamie's voice drifted through the door.

"Yea! I'm up!" Sophie called back.

"Breakfast's almost ready and mom's super excited, come downstairs." He replied, then didn't wait for her to answer before thundering back down the stairs.

Sophie turned to smile reassuringly at Jack. He didn't look thrilled, but he returned the smile half-heartedly and let her slide from his arms.

"Turn around, I need to put pajamas on." Sophie said quietly.

"Why?" Jack looked a little confused, but smiled in amusement at her plan.

"Cuz I'm not ready for you to see me naked, dork. Turn around." Sophie grinned wickedly as Jack's cheeks were tinged pink in shocked embarrassment.

"Wow. Not that, I meant why do you need pajamas…" Jack muttered darkly as he turned on his heel and nearly smacked into the wall in his haste to avoid her gaze.

"I need pajamas because it'll look weird if I walk downstairs first thing Christmas morning fully dressed. Jamie can't back up my story now, so my mom would just assume I'd been out doing horrible teenager things all night." Sophie said smoothly as she pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top.

She tapped Jack's shoulder to let him know it was safe to look, and he turned cautiously to look at her. Smiling teasingly, Sophie held her arms out as if showing off a fancy outfit.

"Do I look like I just woke up?" She asked enthusiastically.

Jack smirked and moved forward, dropping his staff on the floor so both hands were free. Sophie's hair was being restrained in a ponytail, and he reached up and slid the elastic band from her hair and let it fall loose around her shoulders. She held still as he worked, running his fingers through her hair and fluffing it a bit. Once he was mostly satisfied, he brought an arm up and she cringed uncomfortably as he rubbed the sleeve of his hoodie on her hair, mussing it up and causing it to stick up awkwardly in some places. He grinned proudly and nodded his approval.

"Perfect. You look exactly like you just flopped out of bed." He said cheerfully. Sophie clapped her hands together and bounced toward her door.

"Cool, thanks!" She murmured excitedly before yanking her door open and nearly throwing herself out into the hallway.

Jack followed her downstairs slowly, wandering through the house and taking a moment to admire the Christmas decorations Sophie and Jamie had put up. He paused to peer into the kitchen where the small family was gathered together, loading waffles onto plates. Sophie smiled over at him, then quickly turned back to her mother as she started herding her children toward the livingroom. Jack smiled a little as fond memories resurfaced. It had been a long time since he spent Christmas with the Bennett family. Every year it was pretty much the same. They made breakfast, usually together, then ate in the livingroom while simultaneously opening presents and watching a Christmas themed movie. Back when their father was still alive, the family used to spend all day together. They'd drifted apart in more recent years, though Sophie's mother seemed to hold tightly to their morning tradition.

Jack leaned against the wall with his hands in his hoodie's pocket as the family shuffled into the livingroom together and settled in on the couch. Jamie turned on the TV and found a Christmas cartoon, grinning happily at the screen until their mother snatched the remote from him and tuned it to the Hallmark channel. Both Sophie and Jamie groaned in defeat, and Jack chuckled to himself.

He settled himself down on the floor, allowing the family their time together as he watched the cheesy movie. Trying to ignore the feeling of being excluded, Jack focused on the TV as the minutes ticked by. Every so often, Sophie glanced worriedly toward him, and seemed to be trying to hurry things along with her family. She passed out stockings, then when they were finished with those she began sorting through the presents stacked beneath the tree and dispensing them. The sound of shredding paper filled the room, and Jack tuned it out as he tried to watch the movie.

"Uh, what a lovely… picture of your room." Jamie said slowly and with slight amused confusion.

Jack looked up curiously, then climbed to his feet and wandered over to look at the item in Jamie's hands. Jack immediately recognized it as the picture of him and Tooth that Sophie had taken a while back. Though he could clearly see himself, Tooth, and Baby Tooth in the frame, he realized with a heavy sense of loss that Jamie saw only Sophie's empty room. Sophie appeared to be frozen in surprise, unsure of how to react for a few long moments. She seemed to regain her composure, and exchanged saddened glances with Jack.

"I thought it was very… artistic. You don't like it?" She looked sadly at Jamie and the young man quickly denied disliking it.

"It's great, Soph. You're getting really good with that camera." He leaned over and gave her an awkward, one-armed hug.

"He's right, Sophie, some of these are really impressive!" Her mother added in wonder, holding up the framed pictures she'd just unwrapped.

"I mean this one almost looks like the water was freezing right as you took the picture! It's incredible! I don't even know how you got some of these shots, it must have taken a long time for the frost to get just right…" The woman trailed off in awe as she stared at the pictures her daughter had given her.

Jack smiled happily, brushing his fingers through Sophie's expertly mussed hair affectionately. It felt good to have someone appreciate his work as art. He retreated to the back of the room, waiting patiently as the small family finished up their traditional Christmas morning. Sophie helped her mother shove wrapping paper in a garbage bag as Jamie straightened up the room and took the plates to the kitchen.

"Well, I promised this girl I'd go to a Christmas lunch with her." Jamie said a little sheepishly. His mother smiled slyly at him and gave him a hug.

"Try to be good. Are you two alright with fending for yourselves for dinner? I'm headed to a Christmas party this evening and I'll be home late. If you need fed I can leave you some money." Their mother asked worriedly as she eyed her children.

"Nah, I'll be fine, mom. Don't worry." Jamie said, raising his hands reassuringly.

"I've got a few places I can go to mooch food tonight." Sophie chimed in happily.

_A/n: Sorry, the part with North got cut short. I didn't like where it was trying to go.  
_


	23. Take Your Time

_A/n: I am a bad person to have kept you waiting so long… Also I drank a lot of coffee so I'm sorry if this chapter seems like a squirrel wrote it. One more thing! This chapter gets a little dirty. If you don't like dirty I suggest not reading it. If you do like dirty, then yay! It's my apology for taking so much time off from writing._

.:23:.

"It's beautiful…" Jack breathed as he clutched Sophie's petite frame to his chest. She hummed a happy little giggle in response as his breath left crystals of ice in her hair.

He shifted her weight in his arms, then gently lowered her feet to the ground, all the while keeping his gaze on the pond. Sophie reluctantly let go of his shoulders and took a step back to give him some space. She wanted him to get a chance to really take it in without her distracting him. He brought his staff up across his chest and gripped it, and Sophie was reminded of a child holding a security blanket. She smiled to herself as Jack moved forward to take a look around.

"It was my idea, but North was the one that did it for you." She said quietly.

Strings of lights had been wound through the trees surrounding the pond. The lights themselves were shaped like snowflakes, and even in the dim midday light they glowed cheerfully against the bare branches. A few benches had been moved into position on the edge of the pond, and a picnic table rested under the boughs of a large tree near the water. It didn't seem like much to Sophie, but she knew it went deeper than that with Jack. His lips parted with something akin to awe, and he turned slowly to gaze up at the trees, clearly enjoying the new ambiance of his pond.

"How..?" Jack's voice trailed off as he glanced up at the lights in the nearest tree, and Sophie moved forward to point up into the branches.

"They're connected to little solar panels. They charge all day and then stay on all night. Technology is fun." Sophie laughed when Jack gave her an odd little grin.

"It's wonderful, thank you." Jack said softly. Sophie smiled for him, and Jack walked slowly out onto the ice, his feet as sure on the slick frozen surface as if it were concrete.

Sophie glanced up to see a few tiny snowflakes begin to fall, just wispy little things that seemed to reflect Jack's mood. It was calm and quiet and contemplative. She raised her face to the sky and sighed peacefully, putting her hands in her pockets and enjoying the moment. Jack set the end of his staff on the ice and Sophie glanced down at him. He smiled happily at her, and the snow immediately increased. Thick flakes fell from the sky, and in the silence of that moment it was simply her and Jack, and if the rest of the world had vanished neither of them would have noticed.

"I love you." Jack said confidently.

Sophie was snapped from her reverie and her cheeks lit up in surprise, but a sheepish little grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. She felt like her chest might burst as she stood there with him gazing so softly at her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she lowered her chin to let her hair fall down over one eye as she fought back the shyness she still felt in his presence.

"I love you, Jack." She said softly, still grinning to herself as her cheeks burned.

He ignored her blush and held a hand out to her, inviting her out onto the ice. She accepted, and very carefully stepped out onto the frozen pond. Her boots slid a little beneath her, but she managed to stay upright and mostly stable. She made it to Jack's side, and he pulled her in close as the snow fell around them. Sophie looked up at him, and Jack chuckled a little and put the back of his fingers against her flushed cheeks. She jumped at the shock of cold and snatched his hand from her face. Jack laughed softly at her reaction, but it was cut short when she tilted her head just right and brought his attention instead to her mouth.

Happy to accept such an invitation, Jack leaned forward and kissed her. A thrill went through her body, bringing to mind things that she wasn't sure she was ready to consider. It didn't help that Jack dropped his staff and used both hands to drawn her as close to him as possible, pulling her off balance. She didn't know if he'd planned it or not, but they slipped and she landed on Jack's chest in surprise. He maneuvered her expertly into position so she was straddling him, her knees resting on the ice on either side of him. Jack brought one leg up and braced her in position, and Sophie shivered from more than the cold as Jack slid his hands down to her hips. She was surprised at his sudden self-confidence, but she knew he'd been through a lot lately. He'd practically lost a brother, and she understood how deeply he needed her right now. He needed to know that she was there for him, and that she never wanted him to be alone again.

Sophie brought a hand up and brushed her fingers through his hair. His eyes slid closed and the snow was immediately so thick she couldn't see the trees anymore. Her musical little giggle made him snap his gaze to hers, and as she stared down into his icy blue eyes the snow nearly stopped. He reached up and caught the back of her neck, bringing her down for a kiss. She braced an elbow on the ice, her hair draping over one side of their faces like a curtain. One of her knees slipped and Jack let out a soft sound of approval as her weight settled entirely on him. Color touched her cheeks again, but she tried to ignore it. Heat was spreading through her body, and she was all too aware of how inappropriately close they had gotten. Finding herself unable to think of a good reason to move, she simply relished the feeling and shifted a little to get comfortable. A low moan rumbled in Jack's chest, and Sophie realized exactly what effect she was having on him.

Wiggling her hips a little, she enjoyed the way Jack's grip suddenly tightened on her. A devilish smirk crossed her features, and she braced both elbows on the ice and cradled his head between her forearms, offering him an innocently generous view down the neck of her shirt as she spread out over him. His hands moved to her waist and he stared up at her hungrily. She leaned down and pressed soft kisses to his slightly parted lips. Jack let out a shaky breath, and his hands slowly slid down her body to rest on her thighs. Sophie surprised herself by letting out her own gentle groan of pleasure, enjoying the way Jack rubbed the backs of her thighs through her jeans.

Sophie knew her hormones were going wild, giving her all sorts of ideas on how this lovely Christmas day could end. Her body felt like it was on fire, and she was overly aware of the gentle little movements Jack was making beneath her, and her own subconscious responses to him. His hands slid up under her shirt, caressing the bare skin of her lower back, and she was so worked up she didn't even feel the cold. A knot of dread had formed in her stomach, and Sophie wondered if she'd let herself go to far with him already. She gazed down at him through the haze, and recognized the look in his eyes. He was thinking the same thing she was, and Sophie sighed gently and leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. Jack understood and removed his hands from her skin, bringing them up to cup her face gently.

"Take your time." He said affectionately. There wasn't a hint of irritation or bitterness in his eyes, and Sophie smiled in relief.

"Thank you…" She murmured, then gave him one last gentle kiss before gathering herself and climbing off of him.

She sat beside him on the ice, hugging her knees and realizing that she was trembling. Jack stayed spread out on the ice, his eyes closed peacefully. He almost looked like he was meditating.

"I'm sorry, I want to, I just…" Sophie started in a small voice.

"You're not ready. Don't stress about it, it's not important. I don't want it to be like that with us." Jack sounded much older than he looked just then, and it suddenly hit Sophie just how old her boyfriend truly was.

Jack opened his eyes and turned to smile up at her. He offered her a hand, and Sophie breathed in happy relief as she took it. She laid back on the ice beside him, and the snow slowed to a complete stop as Jack got his emotions under control again. They stared up at the sky together, neither of them speaking as they enjoyed their time together. After a while, Jack looked over at her.

"You know, just because you're not ready to go that far, it doesn't mean we can't… you know." A slight tinge of color appeared on his cheeks and Sophie laughed.

"You mean fool around? Perv. Well, I guess three hundred years is a long time to keep you waiting. I'm game for a little fun." Sophie laughed at the slight embarrassment on his face, but Jack grinned in triumph all the same and rolled over to nestle up against her.

"Besides, I like you better when you're confident and open. It's sexy." Sophie giggled when Jack leaned back to give her a sly look that said '_oh, really?_', then his hand was up under her shirt again and he rubbed a thumb against her hip. She rolled onto her side and draped a leg over his hip, then rested her head on her arm and smiled happily at him.


	24. Pale Moonlight

_A/n: Time skip! The story was moving too slowly, I have other stories I want to write but I have to finish this one first or it'll never be done. Also, I have stories connected to this one I want to write, so I really can't write those until this one is finished! D:_

.:24:.

Sophie sighed heavily, hugging herself against the cold night air. She was wearing Jack's hoodie, but it didn't seem to warm her up any more than the spirit of winter himself could. Regardless, she nestled herself in against the fabric and enjoyed the scent of ozone that seemed to linger in his clothing. It was nearly three in the morning, and Jack's gentle breathing was the only sound in her room that night. He turned in his sleep, reached to the side, then his eyes slowly slid open when he realized Sophie wasn't in the bed.

Jack sat up slowly, rubbing a hand against his face and then trying to brush his sleep-ravaged hair from his eyes. Though the winter spirit didn't actually need to sleep, he had started to enjoy sleeping beside Sophie. It was a way to spend more time with her without being creepy. The moonlight from the window shone against his pale, bare chest, and he knew something was wrong when Sophie made no move to join him.

Jack slid from the bed, a little off balance as he was still waking up. Not wanting to disturb whatever train of thought she had going, Jack moved up behind her and carefully wrapped his arms around her stomach. She slid her hands down to rest on top of his, and Jack set his chin on her shoulder, giving the side of her jaw a light kiss before settling in and waiting for her to speak.

Sophie closed her eyes and leaned back against him, enjoying the embrace. It was nice to have him there with her at night. Sometimes her imagination would get out of control and she would wake up, terrified of what might be lurking in the dark and whether or not her unfounded fears would give them shape. She knew that was probably a bad sign, but she didn't want Jack to worry. The problem tonight, however, remained to be seen.

"He kept it." Sophie whispered into the moonlight filtering in through the window. For a moment Jack thought she was talking to the Man in the Moon, then decided it didn't matter either way. He glanced up at the moon, wondering briefly if it was coincidence that he was watching them tonight.

"Who kept what, Soph?" Jack asked softly. She almost seemed to flinch at his words, but relaxed against his chest and gripped his forearms.

"Jamie. He kept the picture of you and Tooth. It must look like my empty room to him, but he kept it." She wouldn't raise her voice above a whisper, and Jack suddenly found himself worried.

"It was a gift from his only sister, of course he kept it." Jack said. He wasn't worried about being overheard, Sophie was the only one in the house that could hear his voice.

"No, Jack. He keeps it close. He put it on his nightstand, sometimes I catch him staring at it. He knows something's there, he just can't see it. He remembers, but he doesn't…" She sounded distraught, and Jack's brows furrowed as he thought about her words.

"What do you mean? You think he still believes?" Jack asked. Sophie make a slightly frustrated noise and drooped a little in his arms.

"Kind of, maybe. I think… I think he wants to believe." She almost sounded like she was going to cry, and Jack kissed the side of her neck affectionately.

"If he does, then he does. It's not up to us anymore. Jamie needs to grow up now." Jack was whispering, and Sophie shivered a little bit.

It had been over two months since Jamie stopped seeing Jack, and he had finally seemed to come to terms with it. Sophie knew he wasn't keen on talking about it, but it didn't hurt him like it used to.

"There's a man outside." Sophie murmured so softly Jack almost didn't hear her.

His body stiffened so suddenly he startled Sophie. His grip around her tightened to the point of almost hurting her, and Sophie stayed still in his arms, suddenly afraid to move. She couldn't imagine Jack Frost could be afraid of anything, but she could feel the shock and fear and sudden fury rising up in him. His chest was pressed close against her back, and even through the heavy fabric of the hoodie she could feel his body temperature dropping. The cold radiating from him became enough that she had to take her hands off his forearms and curled in close to herself.

"Jack." She said sternly.

She knew he would never hurt her on purpose, but she also knew that as a teenager, oftentimes his emotions got the better of his winter side. He almost didn't hear her, but he opened his arms and let her move away from him. He stared out the window at the lean shadow, knowing exactly who it was.

"That's Pitch." He said with venom in his tone.

Sophie moved back to the window and gazed down at the man standing outside. He was looking up at the house, and even from this distance she could see the sadness in his features illuminated in the moonlight. She wondered for a moment, then traced his gaze and realized the man was staring up at her brother's bedroom window.

"That's the Nightmare King? He looks so sad…" Sophie tilted her head a little, wondering how such a man could possibly be a threat to anyone.

Before she could react, Jack flung the window open and glided down to the snow-covered lawn below. The moonlight seemed to grow brighter, almost like it was curious to see what happened. Jack stalked across the yard. He had been frozen in time as a young man that was not finished filling out, but in that moment his lean, youthful muscles made him look incredibly threatening. His shoulders were set and ready for a fight, and Sophie thought of a predator defending its territory. She hadn't seen Jack's violent side, and realized she'd been silly to think of him as being a peaceful spirit. Anyone capable of personifying winter itself would have to be equally cold and harsh.

She couldn't hear what they were saying, they were talking in low, irritated growls. Pitch sneered at Jack, then jumped back as Jack swung his staff and a wave of ice grew from the ground. Sharp points rose up alarmingly fast, but Pitch was faster and stood casually just outside the range of the icy spikes. Jack swung his staff again, slicing through the tips of the icy spears like they were made of butter and sending the points hurtling toward Pitch. The man's eyes widened in surprise, and he had clearly not been expecting such a move. He lashed forward with a large, shadowy scythe, blocking the deadly chunks of ice.

"I have done you a favor!" Pitch yelled in fury.

"Stay away from my family!" Jack roared back.

"They're not your family, Jack! They are human children!" Pitch was absolutely furious, and Jack slammed the end of his staff into the ground. Thick ice shot out across the ground, and Pitch jumped back a few more steps to avoid it. Angry winter wind swirled around him, whipping against Pitch as he braced himself against the furious winter spirit.

Sneering again, Pitch took off into the night. Sophie sighed in relief, then realized the battle wasn't over when Jack immediately gave chase. Slightly panicked, Sophie dashed out her bedroom door, barely stopping to pull her boots on her bare feet. She was wearing sleepwear shorts, and muttered darkly under her breath as she slid out the front door and sprinted down the street after the two fighting immortals.

It wasn't hard to follow them, she could see bright flashes of blue as Jack more or less tormented the defeated Nightmare King. Rounding a corner a few streets down from her house, she paused breathlessly to see Jack dart forward, cleanly avoiding a sweep of Pitch's scythe and using his staff to trip the older spirit. Pitch was twice his size, but Jack was faster. Before Pitch could recover, Jack had him by the collar and punched him square in the mouth.

"Jack!" Sophie cried out in anger. Nightmare King or not, Jack seemed to be getting a little cruel.

Pitch rolled his head to one side, clearly dazed as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Two teeth clattered across the frozen pavement, but he ignored it as he took a moment to steady his gaze on the small girl more or less defending him.

"That's enough. Let him go." She ground out, not entirely thrilled with his sudden thirst for blood. Jack glared down at Pitch one more time, them shoved him roughly to the ground.

Jack gave Sophie a long, hard look, then growled in frustration and took off into the sky. As angry as he might be, she knew he would never leave her in danger, and she leveled her gaze on the man before her without fear.

"Did you make my brother forget about Jack Frost?" Sophie demanded to know, and Pitch narrowed his eyes at her.

Pitch spat out another mouthful of blood, then climbed shakily to his feet.

"I did nothing more than what he wanted." Pitch hissed angrily at her, but Sophie remained unimpressed. Watching her boyfriend beat him senseless left Pitch as somewhat less than threatening in her eyes.

Clearly frustrated, Pitch wiped blood from his mouth and turned to stalk off into the darkness. Sophie stayed there, pondering his words for a few moments. Had Jamie wanted to forget about Jack? She got the feeling Pitch had seemed to think so. Her gaze fell on the two teeth he had left behind, and thoughts tumbled through her head. Leaning down, she picked up the teeth, grimacing a little at the blood still covering them. She had a feeling she knew just the person to get the truth out of Pitch and get this whole issue settled once and for all. Turning on her heel, Sophie marched straight home to put Pitch's teeth under her pillow.


End file.
